Chasing Second Chances
by EnchantedSailorBella
Summary: High School Sweethearts, Edward and Bella were so happy.  College, over-thinking, and selfless stupidity separated them.  Second chances don't come around twice.
1. Sweethearts

Edward and Bella were sitting in their usual seats at the old theater. They did this every Friday night. Of course this tradition would be over soon. They only had two more weeks of school. And that terrified Edward. He'd made a decision last week as he watched all the guys in Seattle drool over his girl as they'd gone out to dinner for their year anniversary. He needed to let her go and see if she could find someone that made her happier than he could. It would kill him, but he needed to know that Bella had seen everything before she chose him. If she chose him, he corrected mentally.

"Edward," Bella yawned. "We've seen this movie ten times. I don't really feel like sitting through it again tonight."

Edward chuckled as he looked down at Bella. He couldn't blame her. The Forks theater only showed one movie and they showed the same movie for up to three months. If people got too tired of a movie, they'd just pull out an old one and begin to show it.

Edward took Bella's hand and pulled her out of the row, ducking to make sure that they didn't block the light from the projector. They got to the lobby and Edward went into the closet to get their coats. When he came back, Bella had her back to him and was studying the picture on the wall with all the graduating pictures from the past however many years that the town had been taking graduating pictures. Edward knew she was imagining their picture in the group. It had already been taken and the owner of the theater was just waiting for their actual graduation to put it up.

Edward had kissed her on the cheek causing her to blush right as the flash had gone off. He smiled knowing that a moment in time when they had been happy was now captured forever for anyone in Forks to see. Even if she followed through on his plan and found someone else, he could always come back here and remember how perfect they had been together.

Edward walked up behind Bella, placing her coat on her shoulders. She jumped, and turned to look at him. "Dear God, Edward. Don't startle me like that. You could have given me a heart attack."

He just smiled and leaned down to press his lips lightly to hers. The gesture always quieted her annoyance with whatever he might have done. It amazed him that he knew these little things about her. He liked knowing that he was the only one who knew the best ways to comfort or soothe her. The little voice in his heart told him that was because he was the only person who was supposed to know those kinds of things, but his head squashed that idea saying that she should know what her choices were. And the heart gave into the thought because it wanted Bella to do whatever made her happiest.

He pulled back and gave her the crooked smile that she'd claimed he used to dazzle her. He had to admit, she did look a bit dazzled. He took her hand and led her back outside to his car. When he was reaching for the passenger door handle to open the door for her she pulled back on his hand. He turned back to look at her. "I'm not ready to go home yet. I just didn't want to see that movie again." She looked left and right as she chewed on her lip deciding what to do. "Why don't we just go for a walk?"

Edward walked back toward her and pulled her under his arm. "Are you sure? It's awful cold out tonight."

She smiled up at him. He didn't want to go home yet either, they both knew it, but he wanted to make sure that she was comfortable. Bella had no idea how she'd gotten so lucky. Any girl in the world would kill for a chance to be with Edward and he'd chosen her. She leaned into his side and nodded, "It's too early to go home, yet. Charlie will still be up and then you'll have to talk to him again."

Edward chuckled as they started walking forward. "Talking isn't the scary part. It's the idea that he could take down one of those guns on the wall and point it at me. Plus, he's a cop, which means he probably knows how to make it look like he didn't do it, which means he'd have one less reason not to do it."

Bella laughed and shook her head. "Charlie likes you a lot more than he lets on. I mean, you always get me home by curfew, you're the perfect gentleman, and your father's a doctor. What could be more perfect for someone like me than to be near the son of a doctor?"

Edward smiled down at her, "See, now I know the real reason you've stuck with me so long. When you fall at my house, you're not very far from someone who can bandage you right back up."

Bella smiled, trying not to laugh. "Well," she said slowly. "There might be other reasons for me sticking with you so long."

Edward tightened his grip on her shoulders and smiled as they continued to walk forward. They passed by several stores, all of them closed due to the late hour. They passed the jewelry store, and Edward looked away. Up until last week, he'd planned on proposing to her this summer. He'd actually been into the store already to have his grandmother's old ring sized. Now, the whole trip might have been pointless.

"Edward," Bella said excitedly as they turned the corner. He looked at her questioningly. Her mood was the antithesis to his own and he was taken a little off guard. She was smiling and pointing down the street. "The diner's still open. Let's go get a sundae."

He chuckled, "You are such a little kid sometimes."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just because I want to share a sundae with my boyfriend, I'm a little kid."

Edward shook his head and reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. He didn't carry around all of his money. His father had instilled it into his mind that he was supposed to only take as much as he thought he was going to use. Dr. Cullen had once lived in a big city, and though things didn't happen in this small town, he knew he wouldn't live here forever. Edward opened his wallet, there was enough to get a sundae. "Okay, just one, though."

Bella scrunched her brow as she looked at his wallet. She'd forgotten about money. It was just that the diner was usually closed when they got out of the movie. She had just wanted to do something with him. "Edward, we don't have to. You know how I hate you spending money on me."

"I know." And he really did. That was one of the reasons that he'd been planning on giving her his grandmother's ring rather than buying her one. The other reason had been that his grandparents had been married for fifty years and then his grandfather had fallen ill. His grandmother had died of what he could only describe as a broken heart a few months later. He felt like the ring represented a true love that he hoped to share with Bella. "But I want a sundae, Bella. So we're going to get one whether you like it or not."

Bella chewed on her lips and looked back toward the diner. She knew that Edward was just trying to make her happy, but she couldn't stand to take his money this way. Of course she didn't have a choice now. Edward knew that she wanted that sundae, and she was going to get it. He took her hand and pulled her toward the diner not allowing her the chance to argue.

They were immediately greeted by Gertie when they entered the diner. "Hey kids. What are y'all doin' here? The movie doesn't get out for another half hour."

Edward helped Bella out of her coat before shrugging out of his own and placing them on the coat rack. "Bella got tired of the movie and decided that we should come down here for a sundae before I take her home."

Gertie smiled and led them to a booth. They were the only people here. The diner would be closing down soon, probably as soon as they walked out the door. They sat in the booth as close as they could possibly get waiting for Gertie to get back with their sundae. When she brought it back with two spoons, Edward handed over a ten and told Gertie to keep the change. As much as they liked Gertie, they didn't need her coming to check on them every five minutes.

"So," Bella said around a spoonful of ice cream. With any other girl, the gesture might have made him cringe, but he thought it was rather endearing with Bella. "Have you gotten your dorm assignment yet?"

Edward didn't want to talk about college, but he wanted to enjoy his time with Bella now, so he couldn't give away his discomfort with the subject. "No, not yet. It should come any day, though. Have you heard anything, yet?"

Bella nodded, "Yeah, they put me in an all girls dorm all the way across campus from the building where all my classes."

Edward felt bad that his first reaction was relief that she was in an all girls dorm. He tried to push it off as the fact that an all girls dorm was safer for someone as attractive as Bella than a co-ed would be. "I'm sorry about the distance thing," he said, and he truly was. She was going to fall a lot during the year, and he wasn't going to be there to kiss away the embarrassment like he'd done over the past year.

She shrugged, "Maybe I'll avoid the freshman fifteen if I'm walking so much."

He held in the laughter as she said the words around another spoonful of ice cream. He didn't think she'd gain a pound, but the scene was still funny. She'd probably only gain if she got pregnant.

Edward closed his eyes against the thought. He didn't want to think about her pregnant unless it was with his child, and that could only happen if she chose him. This meant that until further notice, all thoughts of Bella pregnant were forbidden.

They finished the sundae, spooning up the melted stuff at the bottom before the other person could. Edward had teased Bella about her giddiness before, but it was part of what he loved about her. He loved being able to act like a little kid at times with her. He had always been serious growing up, but he got to be normal when he was with her.

Bella sighed as she looked down at the empty glass. Edward brushed her hair behind her ear so that he could see her face. "What's the matter sweetheart?"

Bella chewed on her lip, not wanting to look up at him. He would think she was absolutely crazy, because there were tears brimming up in her eyes. But there was no such luck. Edward used his finger under her chin to pull her face so that she was looking directly at him. "Bella, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She took an unsteady breath. "It's stupid really. It's just," she took a deep breath. "This is all going to end soon. Things are going to be so different soon. I don't want everything to change, but it's going to."

Edward wanted to kick himself, because he was going to cause more change, but it was necessary, at least for a little while. "The only thing that's constant in life is change, Bella."

Bella laughed, "Oh, God. I know. It's just that things have been so perfect this past year, and I know it's going to be hard not seeing you every day."

Edward brushed a few tears from Bella's face before leaning in to give her a light kiss. He wished there was something that he could have said, but for now, that was all that he could offer.

* * *

Edward smiled as he watched Bella walk across the stage to get her diploma. There were only about fifty people in their class, so the ceremony didn't take that long. He wished it could have taken longer. This was one day closer to the day he'd have to tell her. He wanted to tell her about three fourths of the way into the summer. He'd decided that he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible without having to ruin her first few days of school. He knew she'd be upset. There was no way around it. They really did love each other. He just couldn't get over the idea that there might be something better out there for her.

Before he knew it, they were throwing their caps into the air, and then it was over. He saw his parents waiting for him, but he wanted to congratulate Bella first. And she must have felt the same way because she launched herself at him as soon as she broke free from the 'S' crowd. He leaned down to kiss her sweetly, "Congratulations." he said beaming down at her.

She smiled, "Congratulations to you, too. Do we have plans to celebrate tonight?"

Edward glanced up and saw Charlie heading toward them. "I don't know. Your dad might have plans for you already. How 'bout we do something together tomorrow?"

Bella looked back to see what had caught Edward's eye. She smiled at her father. "Okay, fine. But you're making this up to me," she teased.

Edward smiled as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Then he released her so that he could shake Charlie's hand. "Congratulations, kids." Charlie said enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Charlie." Edward said. "I was just congratulating Bella before I headed out to celebrate with my parents."

Charlie nodded, "Say hey to your dad for me."

Edward promised to do so and turned on his heels to find his parents. Charlie exhaled and turned to his daughter. "Okay, you're right. He's not acting the same."

Bella chewed on her lip as she watched Esme embrace her son with a watery smile. "I'm not sure what's going on. There's something that he's not telling me, and it's really bothering him."

Charlie straightened up, "Do you need me to remind him of my collection."

Bella smiled up at her, "Do you always have to resort to showing off your gun collection. I swear you're prouder of them than you are of me."

Charlie didn't look amused at Bella's attempt to brush the whole situation off. "I was serious, Bells."

"I know, Dad." Bella looked back at the spot where Carlisle and Edward seemed to be having a serious conversation. "He'll tell me when he's ready. I know Edward better than that. There's no need to resort to dramatics."

* * *

The summer was going to end soon, and Edward still hadn't accomplished the nasty task of breaking his heart. He wasn't going to do it today, though. Today they were going to their meadow, and that was definitely not the place to leave such a bad memory. He was going to do it tomorrow, and that meant that today had to be the best day. He needed to leave her with the best memories.

He had packed a picnic basket and nearly ran out the door to get to her sooner but had to run right back in to make sure that he had a first aid kit. As good as he was at keeping Bella vertical, it was harder when he was carrying something.

The drive to her house took forever, but the drive to the trail head was short. And then the hike to the meadow was even shorter. It was like the world was conspiring against him because they spent eight hours in the meadow but it felt like eight minutes. Then the hike back and the drive to her house took mere seconds in his mind. Then it was gone. His last day, his perfect day with her had passed, and he might never get another.

These were the feelings running through his system as he got to her door. When she turned to him for their customary goodnight kiss, he held onto her tighter than he'd intended to. He didn't want tomorrow to come. When it came, his world might just end. Tonight might be the last night that he could ever hold her again. And while he wanted her to be happy, he knew he might be destroying his own happiness in the process.

* * *

Bella knew it was coming, but it didn't make it any easier. He'd kissed her like it would be their last kiss. She thought he might do it right there on the front porch, but he hadn't. And now he'd asked her to meet him in the stands at the football field. She knew he was going to do it because he'd asked her to meet him somewhere that had no connection to them. Even if he was going to hurt her in the worst way possible, he would never destroy any of their perfect memories. And it made it hurt more because it made her fall all the more in love with him.

She walked up into the stands and saw Edward's bronze hair bright in the silver stands. She walked toward him slowly, but he didn't look up as she approached. She sat down, leaving enough space between them so she could feel his warmth, but there was no physical contact. "Hey," she said hoarsely.

"Hey," was his brilliant response.

They were quiet for a few more minutes. A few more minutes of being a combined unit. Edward sighed, "I want you to look at your options while you're at school."

Bella stared out at the field, noticing that no one had bothered to take care of it while football season was off. They'd have to start to manicure it again now that practice was going to start up. "What do you mean exactly?"

Edward licked his dry lips. "I mean that we've lived in this small town for so long, that you don't know what's in the real world. I want you to see what the world might have to offer you outside of this town," Edward swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "Outside of me."

Bella looked at Edward. This wasn't exactly the way that she'd expected this conversation to go. She'd expected him to break it off, but he made it sound like he didn't want to. "Edward, I don't want anything outside of you."

Edward knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Bella was stubborn. But Edward knew what would make her let him go. He just hoped that if she didn't find anything else, she would forgive him. "I want to see what the world might have to offer to me outside of this town."

The tears leapt to Bella's eyes without her permission. "Outside me," she whispered. She knew it was what he'd meant to say.

Edward wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that wasn't true, but he needed her to believe that it was, so he just remained quiet and let her soak that in. After a few moments he cleared his throat and she took in a shaky breath. He couldn't look at her, because her tears would kill him. He knew that his will power was wearing down, and soon he'd look at her and comfort her in every way that he knew.

So he stood up, put his hands in his pockets and sent her a mental 'I love you' before walking back to his car. He could hear her sobs begin as he walked away and he was nearly running by the time he reached the parking lot. Then he got into his car and turned it on quickly so that he wouldn't turn around and run right back to her like his body and heart ached to do. When he got to his house, he ran upstairs and threw himself on his bed.

The tears came freely. He knew what would happen now. She'd find somebody that she loved more than him, and then she would forget all about them and their time together. Edward wasn't stupid. He knew that she'd be it for him, forever. Even when she found somebody else, he would never see anyone besides her. Now, as the pain set in, even his mind was beginning to question his decision.

* * *

"I do," Bella said, her voice shaky with tears as she looked up into James's blue eyes. To anyone in the audience, it would appear that she was crying for joy. But her tears came from a much deeper place. Was it wrong that she felt like she was cheating by doing this? She loved Edward, and it wasn't fair to do this to James. She could never give him her whole heart, because it was never hers to give. And yet here she was, claiming that she could.

James smiled down at her and leaned down to kiss her as the Reverend pronounced them husband and wife. As their lips met a door slammed and Bella swore that she'd seen a flash of copper, but she pushed it off as her mind playing tricks on her. She hadn't talked to Edward in four years. Actually, he hadn't talked to her in four years. Why would that change now?


	2. Life After You

Edward dropped his bag on the counter and looked himself over in the mirror. He looked tired. That meant more make-up. And that meant more time awake trying to get rid of the make-up. Stupid cycle was going to kill him. He knew that it shouldn't matter to him by this point. He was already dead to the world. The moment she'd said 'I do,' his entire world had come crashing down. Why had he been so stupid as to think that she would come back to him? Because he couldn't imagine her with anyone else, that was why.

Edward opened his duffle and his wallet was pushed off the counter onto the floor. He didn't look at it immediately. He wanted to find his costume, and it appeared to be at the bottom of the bag. That was just great. That meant that it was probably wrinkled, and he was already in trouble for the lack of attention he'd been giving his costumes. It had officially been two years since he'd stormed out of Bella's wedding in tears. It was surprising that he could keep himself together long enough to dance any night, let alone on the anniversary of which he'd lost the only person he'd ever truly loved.

"Hey man," Emmett's deep voice boomed. "Who is this girl?"

Fuck, Edward thought. He should have picked up the wallet. What were the chances that it would fall open to a picture of her? Like one hundred percent, his heart answered back. It was still pissed that it had been ignored after high school. There was so much pain that could have been avoided if Edward had just listened to his heart.

He turned to take his wallet from Emmett, "It's a long story."

Jasper came out, already halfway in costume. "I think we have enough time," he looked down at Edward's duffel. "You might as well tell us while you're steaming that thing. I know that you've got a real job now, but it would kind of suck if I only had Emmett to talk to around here."

Edward placed his pants on the rack ignoring the small jewelry box at the bottom of the duffel that he always carried around with him, and used the steam hose to take out the stupid creases. He didn't understand. The pants were so tight that the wrinkles stretched out to be invisible. The customers couldn't tell the difference, and they were the ones who paid his salary, not the boss. The boss was just the middle man, and sometimes she wasn't even that. Edward earned enough tips some nights that he'd considered giving up his job as a music professor so that he wouldn't have to deal with people on a human level. This animal instinct was easier to live with. There was no thinking and no emotions, it was all physical, and many times painful. That's what he'd needed. He'd needed pain to take him away from the real world, to show that he could still feel, and this was the safest way for him to find it.

Jasper cleared his throat, "You should tell us man. I think we've been dancing around this topic for years. And you've been worse lately. If we're going to save your ass from the higher powers, I think we at least deserve to know why we're doing it."

Edward didn't speak for a minute as he processed what his answer should be. It was true that Jasper and Emmett had saved his butt several times this week and they had been understanding about the whole thing, even though they had no idea what they were doing it for. But Edward wasn't ready to talk about it. He didn't think he ever would be. So instead he just remained quiet, hoping that Jasper would understand.

Maybe Jasper would have, but Emmett had had his fill with Edward's silence. "Edward, if you don't tell my why you have been so fucked up since I met you, I swear to God I'm going to go report you."

Edward wanted to growl at Emmett. His chest did rumble slightly, but he kept facing his pants. Emmett could report Edward if he wanted. Even with wrinkled costumes, Edward was one of the best dancers, and he'd been here for nearly five years now. They wouldn't do anything for a pair of wrinkled pants and, as far as Edward knew, Emmett didn't have anything on him that could actually get him fired.

Edward's silence irritated Emmett to know end. "Damn it Edward. You have been here just as long as we have. Jazz and I will probably leave here one day, when a steady girl comes into our lives, but you have no intention of that. Don't think I don't see it. You were so fucking broken when you got here. We've been nice enough not to ask about it, but it's about damn time that you told us. And I'd bet every outfit I have that the girl in your wallet has something to do with that."

Edward was surprised at how in tune Emmett seemed to be. Emmett rarely got upset, and it had never been toward him. And yet here he was, reading right into Edward's deepest hidden thoughts, and he was spot on. Jasper placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Sucks, man, but you should get it out. Whatever it is, you've been holding it in for at least five years."

Damn it. This was why Edward hadn't been home in several years. His parents had tried the same crap with him, and he'd left. He couldn't handle the sensitive stuff. Once upon a time, he'd been sensitive. And deep down in his heart, he was still soft.

He turned to Jasper, and he could feel the burn of hidden emotions brimming in his eyes. "Her name was, Bella," he stuttered out. A single tear streaked down his cheek without his permission. "She was," that sounded wrong and hurt him to say, because it wasn't true. "She_ is_ my everything."

They began to get ready as Edward told them everything about Bella. Over an hour later, he was still discussing their year together as a couple. Jasper and Emmett just listened to him in shock. This person, this Edward that he was describing, they had never met him, never imagined him existing. They couldn't have imagined what could have happened to kill him besides the disappearance of this Bella.

Jasper sensed the reasoning close in Edward's explanation as he began to slow his words. He wasn't as willing to relive what was to come as much as he'd enjoyed thinking about how perfect their year together had been. "What happened, man?" Jasper asked quietly. "What did she do to you?"

Edward laughed sadly and shook his head. "She was perfect, I was the one who screwed up."

Edward took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He'd opened up the floodgates, he might as well tell them everything. "We were going to different colleges…" He explained everything that he'd felt over last few months that he spent with Bella. How he knew that he wasn't good enough for her, so he forced her to look elsewhere.

"When she found James, my parents had tried to console me. That was right before I came to work here. I couldn't handle that type of compassion. I'd screwed up, and they shouldn't try to make me feel better about it." He shook his head. "I cut myself off from them completely. I'm not sure they even know where I am at this point. That was the reason I came to work here. I needed the cash, and the boss convinced me that I could make enough tips to keep me more than afloat."

Jasper picked up Edward's wallet looking at the photo that Emmett had seen. It was an old photo, worn a little around the edges due to the amount of times that Edward had taken it out and put it back into the little plastic slot. Then he flipped the slot over to see a few of the pictures from a set taken in a photo booth. Bella was sitting in Edward's lap and they were making goo-goo eyes at each other. Jasper had never seen such a happy couple, but he'd imagine that Bella had been just as broken up about this as Edward was. From what he'd gotten from the story, Bella only wanted Edward to be happy. If that was true, then when he'd told her to find someone else, she had, and now she could even be in a loveless or abusive relationship. As upset as he was with Edward doing that to himself and someone else, he didn't feel it would be a good idea to tell him about his current theory.

Instead he reached over and squeezed his friend's shoulder as he continued to speak. "Two years ago this week she married him. I went to the wedding, but she probably doesn't even know that I was there. I didn't stay long enough for anyone to figure it out." He'd just wanted to torture himself by watching someone else claim what should have been rightfully his.

Charlotte knocked on the door. "We're opening in thirty minutes, boys. I need all of you on the floor serving drinks for the first hour. Then you know what you're assignments are." They could hear the click of her heels as she walked down the hall to the other dressing room with Peter, Benjamin, and Garret.

Jasper laughed, taking the moment to shift the mood. "Do you think she'll ever take Peter on full time? She's killing the poor boy by making him think that he's got a shot and then just pushing him out to other women night after night."

Emmett shrugged. "Peter brings in too much for her to risk losing him that way. Maybe when his popularity goes down. If she still wants him then, maybe she'll take him off the market."

Edward stared at his friend in shock. It really shocked him how much Emmett picked up on. Emmett was always acting like such a big goof that no one ever knew how perceptive he was. He shook his head, here he was judging a book by its cover, something that Bella would never condone. He went back to trying to find the best shade of cover up to prevent the clients from seeing how tired he was.

* * *

Bella held Jacob close to her chest, afraid to hand him over to Angela. It wasn't that she didn't trust Angela, it was just that she didn't want to leave Jacob with anyone, including his father. Not that he wanted anything to do with his son anyway.

Bella shook her head. She didn't want to think about James tonight. She'd promised Alice and Rose that she would try to have fun tonight, whatever that meant. Bella didn't even know when the last time that she'd had fun was.

"Bella," Angela put her hands on Bella's shoulders. "I love you, I really do. And you are one of the best mothers that I have ever seen in my life, including my own. You need to do something for yourself. You have been doing nothing but sitting at home with Jacob since the divorce went through. You need to get out of the house." She bent her knees a little so that they were on eye level. Alice and Rosalie had put her in heels, but she still wasn't as tall as Angela. "Bells, listen to me. You need to go. Jacob will have a great time with Ben and me. You know that. It's just a couple of hours and I will be sending you a report every fifteen minutes. If Jacob does something even remotely out of the ordinary, you will know two seconds later."

Bella sighed. "You're killing me, Angela. He's all I have left. I don't want to let him go."

Angela smiled at Bella compassionately. "I know that, hon. But you need to get back out there. James was a total ass-hole, and you deserve better than that."

Bella sniffled, as memories of her ruined two year marriage flitted through her mind. Including the image of James with his assistant Victoria sprawled across his desk. Bella had felt like such an idiot, standing there in nothing but a trench coat, heels, and the sexiest lingerie that Alice could get her on such short notice. Worse was finding out that she was six months pregnant, with his child. That meant that the affair had not just happened during the sex deprived post-pregnancy months. It could have even started when he was getting it every night from a very horny pregnant Bella.

Bella clutched Jacob more tightly. He squealed a little, not liking the pressure that his mother was imposing on him. "BELLA!" Alice screamed as she began running toward the her. Her heels clicked incessantly, upsetting Jacob more. "Hand that child over right now. You are not getting out of this and Jacob needs to be socialized. You have kept him closed up in that apartment for nearly a month." Alice maneuvered her tiny little hands between Bella and Jacob's body. "Bella, we are doing this for your own good. You are coming out with us and then you can come right back home to your baby. I would never keep you away from him for more than a couple of hours."

Bella loosened her grip as Alice pried the poor child from her arms. Her breathing was labored as she watched the exchange. She knew that she needed to do this, but she was finally breaking. She felt like Jacob was the only male in her life that she could really trust anymore. The love of her life had told her that she needed to find someone else and then had never spoken to her again. Though, rumor had it, he hadn't spoken to anyone since. And then her husband had turned to another woman. She was undesirable. She had been from the very beginning. Edward hadn't wanted her and her own damn husband hadn't wanted her. She needed her son, because at least he needed her. She wanted to hold on to that as long as she could, because soon, he'd not want to be around her either. Then she would have nothing left.

Bella looked back at Angela with her son for a few moments longer, torturing herself, before turning back to get her phone from her room. She dragged herself back up the stairs slowly. She didn't have the energy to hurry. Rosalie and Alice would kill her for continuing to mope, but she didn't have enough energy to worry or be upset about that either.

She grabbed her phone off her bookshelf, knocking off all of the books in the process. Her eyes began to burn as she looked down at the contents of what had fallen. There, on the floor was the book that she hadn't even looked at since she'd placed it there. It had been a gift from him for their year anniversary. Pride and Prejudice. She didn't know why she kept it, but she knew that she couldn't throw away anything that had anything to do with him. She just couldn't do it.

Bella bent down to pick up the book leaving all the others untouched. Sticking out of the top was a sliver of a black and white picture. Bella knew what it was, but she couldn't stop herself from breaking her heart further. She pulled the strip of two pictures out. There was a rip at the bottom where the two others had originally been attatched. A small masochistic part of her wanted to know what had happened to those other pictures.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she saw herself smiling, smiling and laughing. Edward had started by tickling her. She'd never figured out how he'd discovered all of her ticklish spots, but he had. In the second picture, she'd grabbed his hair and forced their mouths together hoping that he would stop tickling her if he was otherwise distracted. It had worked. The other two pictures had been of us staring at each other. Edward had taken those two.

There was a knock on the door frame. Bella tried to wipe away the tears and turned to look at whoever the intruder to her personal torture was. Rosalie was standing, stunning as always, looking at Bella with concerned eyes. "I'd let you stay, but there's no way that I'm dealing with Alice while you sit around moping. You really should get out, for just a few hours. You'll feel so much better if you do, I promise."

Bella laughed and stuffed the photos back in the book and placing them it on the now empty shelf. She'd pick up the others later. Probably tomorrow. Then she'd have to go looking for a job. James had refused to let her work, even with a college degree. Now she was getting close to the end of her savings and she'd either have to move back home with her dad or find a job. She didn't even know what she was qualified to do now with a bachelor's in English. Bella had always intended on going back and getting a masters in something so that she could find a job, but James had convinced her out of it.

"I know you're right. It's just hard for me right now. You're going to have to be patient with me for a little while." Bella walked over to the mirror to inspect the damage. She was surprised to see no smears or smudges. Waterproof makeup. Alice really thought of everything.

Rosalie laughed, "I'm not the one you should be telling to be patient. Patience is one of the few virtues that I've managed" Rosalie smiled wickedly, causing Bella to laugh. It wasn't a perfect laugh, but it was better than it had been recently. Relief flooded Rosalie's system as she heard it.

Alice walked into the room, her spiky heels making a rhythmic clatter on the floor. "Bella," she said shaking her head. "What have you done to your room? Was it really necessary to throw a temper tantrum? We will be back to get him soon."

Bella glared at her friend, "I wasn't throwing a temper tantrum, Alice. I knocked the books over on accident. If you don't remember, I happen to do those kinds of things on a regular basis."

Alice just continued to shake her head sadly, "Well at least you didn't get hurt this time." She walked up to Bella and checked her makeup. "I had a feeling we were going to need the waterproof. Now let's go. I have big plans for us tonight, and I don't want to lose any time."

Bella looked in the mirror one more time. Her eyes were still red, but that should go away if she kept her eyes closed on the ride to the….well, she didn't actually know where they were going. She hated surprises, but Alice seemed even more determined tonight than she had on previous trips similar to this one. That meant that there was no getting out of this. Bella smiled. At least one good thing had come from letting James convince her to pick up her life and move when she was three months pregnant. She had found the best friends that girl could ever find.

* * *

_A/N: Please let me know what you think of this story. Should I finish it? It tore at me to write the first chapter, and though I think I could have some fun (smutty and otherwise) putting them back together, I want to know if my readers are interested. Please comment._


	3. Partners In Crime

Bella didn't have a choice on the whole closing her eyes thing. Alice had taken the surprise idea to the most ridiculous level. Alice had actually blindfolded her. "Alice, don't you know me at all? I hate surprises, and you're only making this worse."

"Oh, shut up, Bella," Alice rolled her eyes as she continued to speed down the road. "You are going to do this my way. There's no way around it, and you know it. Just deal with it."

Rosalie sighed from the backseat of the little porche. "Alice, can you drive any faster? My legs are starting to cramp up back here."

"Sorry, Rose. The stupid car in front of me keeps riding on the breaks." Alice did sound sorry. It was wrong to put someone as tall as Rosalie in the back seat. It was just that it was also wrong to put a blindfolded Bella in the back seat. She would either take off the blindfold or hurt herself. Neither were what Alice had in mind for tonight.

About ten minutes later they pulled up into the parking lot and Alice ran around to help Bella out before pulling the seat forward so that Rosalie could unfold herself gracefully into the parking lot. "Okay," Alice said slowly. "We're going to walk a little ways. I'll let you know when you can take off the blindfold. But it won't be until we're inside and seated, so just cooperate, please."

Bella groaned, "You really are trying to kill me aren't you? First you put me in heels, and then you cut off my vision. I'm not going to make it through tonight if you don't make some changes, and soon."

Alice giggled. Bella couldn't understand how she could just blow her off like this. She wasn't kidding. This was a serious matter and she could be severely injured, or worse, die before this blindfold came off.

"Don't worry, Bella." Rosalie linked arms with Bella. "You're not going to get hurt. We just have to get you inside. The pixie thinks that if you know where we're going before we get inside, you'll turn and run. And I have to say, that I agree with her."

"Oh no." Bella tried to stop and hold both of her friends in place, but they just kept pulling her along. She wondered for a moment if anyone would try to stop them, but figured they wouldn't. Why would anyone stop Alice or Rosalie from doing the things that they wanted to do?

"Stop," She tried again. "I'm not going to go somewhere that you have to blindfold me to get me through the door. That means that it's somewhere that we shouldn't be going and this is a really bad idea."

Rosalie and Alice both ignored Bella and just continued to pull her along. They reached the red rope and Rosalie looked up at the bouncer and batted her eyes. "Three, bachelorette party. We're taking our friend out for one last night of fun before she commits."

Bella's eyes got huge behind the blindfold. "Oh no, no, no, no, no. We are not where I think we are. You know I don't want to do this."

The bouncer chuckled as he looked down at the distressed captive. Then he released the rope. There was a line of girls waiting to get in, but that never stopped Rosalie. Men didn't say no to Rosalie. She always got what she wanted from them. "Have a nice night, ladies."

Alice smiled up at the bouncer and he was stunned by her beauty. He'd only been paying attention to Rosalie, but now he couldn't look away from Alice. "Oh, we will. Trust me, we will."

The bouncer shook his head and turned away from the girls. He could tell that the three of them could be trouble for him if he continued to watch them. Alice and Rosalie pulled Bella to the only open table in the entire place. It wasn't a great spot, but it was still in the building, which was better than the girls standing outside. Besides, if their plan worked, they wouldn't be in their seats long enough to really care about being far away from the stage.

Alice finally removed the blindfold when they were all seated. Bella looked around with scared eyes. "I can't believe you're doing this to me, Alice."

"Oh, don't be all high and mighty, Bella." Alice rolled her eyes. "You need to see some half naked men, and you know it. James is the only man that you've been with, and it's not like he had all that much going for him."

Bella scowled at one of her best friends. She was right. James was the only man she'd been with in that sense. And yet Edward had been the only man that she'd ever wanted to be with like that. He'd convinced her that he wanted to wait till marriage, but now she knew it was just that he hadn't wanted her.

Rosalie raised her hand for a waiter. She had noticed a big bulky man walking around in a pair of tightly fitted pants and a bow tie, and she was trying to get his attention. She felt like he could be entertaining for tonight.

Emmett noticed her, the blonde with legs that went on forever. He thought that he was dreaming. It didn't seem possible that she would really exist, but there she was. He walked over to her in a daze, trying to keep up his cool so as not to show how much she was affecting him. "Good evening ladies. Is there anything that I can get you?"

Rosalie smiled up at him, "I'll have a martini." She looked over at Alice.

"Mmmmm," Alice thought, "I think a sex on the beach will be good for me."

"Just a coke," Bella said as she surveyed her surroundings. Emmett looked down at her and froze. How the hell had he not noticed her? He needed to find Jazz.

Rosalie shook her head. "You're going to need a little alcohol, Bella. Otherwise you'll just sit here the whole night wishing that you were at home."

"Fine," Bella looked at Emmett, "I'll have a rum and coke." She turned back and glared at Rosalie, "Are you happy?"

Rosalie smiled at her friend as Emmett smiled and walked away quickly. He was happy to see Jasper at the bar. He looked up. "Woah, man. What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Emmett placed his order and looked at his friend. "We may have a problem."

Jasper's brow furrowed. His body tensed as if readying himself for a battle. "What is it? Did we have another angry husband sneak in?" It hadn't happened since they'd begun to hire bouncers, but there was always ways into the club if they were really desperate to get in.

Emmett shook his head and pointed out to the floor full of tables. "Table number 12," he whispered just loud enough for Jasper to hear it.

Jasper looked over and saw the blonde. "Okay, Emmett, I know she's attractive, but you've got to control yourself. She'll probably be there all night and you still have to perform."

Emmett shook his head, "That's not the one I'm talking about."

Jasper looked back at the table, "Then wh…." He froze as he took in the brunette. "What are the fucking odds?"

"What do you mean?" Emmett's mind had reached a breaking point and he was no longer able to process what was going on.

"What are the odds that the exact night that Edward opens up to us about this girl, she shows up?" Jasper shook his head as he tried to form a plan. He wondered what would be the best way to ask them to leave. Edward wouldn't survive if he saw her tonight.

Their orders were delivered and Jasper switched them quickly. "Take my order to table 4. I want to go speak to them for a moment."

Emmett nodded his head and went off in the direction of the tables closer to the stage. He needed a moment to get his cool back before he went up to that table again anyway.

Jasper approached the table and held up his tray of drinks. "Okay, I've got a martini," Rosalie raised her hand and he placed the drink down in front of her. "A rum and coke," Bella looked up at him and he merely looked away. There was so much pain in her eyes. He could tell that the little aging she'd done since the pictures he'd seen were taken had nothing to do with getting older. She'd dealt with so much since Edward had mistakenly sent her away. He set the drink down and handed the last drink to Alice, "And that means the sex on the beach is yours."

Alice smiled up at him, and he was stunned. He hadn't seen her because she was so small and had been blocked by her companions, but her beauty outshone both of the others. Jasper smiled back at her, "Are you ladies having a good time?"

"We will be," Alice said laughing. "Just as soon as you boys get your asses on that stage."

Jasper couldn't help but laugh. "What brings you ladies out tonight?"

"My friends think I need to be here," Bella grumbled.

"You do," Rosalie said comfortingly. "I told you, after that worthless marriage, you need to see some real men." Rosalie's eyes scanned the room for the man who was supposed to have brought her drink to her.

"I'm sorry, miss," Jasper said.

"Don't mind her," Alice said. "I wish I could say that the divorce made her this way, but she's been this bad the entire time I've known her. I was hoping that the divorce would actually improve her."

"ALICE!" Bella's eyes got huge. Was it really necessary for Alice to tell this stranger all about her sad, pathetic existence?

Alice's eyes lighted with an idea. She hopped up and linked her arm with Jaspers. "Hi, I'm Alice," she said excitedly.

"Um," Jasper was a little flabbergasted by the tiny woman's energy. "Jasper?" he said uncertainly.

Alice laughed lightheartedly and began to pull him away from the table. She needed to get out of Bella's earshot. She had this feeling that tonight had great possibilities, but that meant that Alice and Rosalie were going to have to push Bella to her limits.

Once they were far enough away from the table, Alice began to speak. "Okay, I need to cheer my friend up. She recently found her husband cheating on her and the divorce just became official within the past month. I need her to snap out of this before she ends up smothering her son because she's afraid to let him go."

Jasper's mind was quickly working through what she was telling him, trying to come up with some kind of a strategy. It was clear that he no longer had a reason to make them leave. If there was no husband, there was no reason for Edward to avoid her anymore. Maybe he could even fix the mistakes he'd made with her. Jasper looked down at his potential partner in crime. "Would the love of her life be what you're looking for?"

Alice cocked her head to the side trying to read Jasper. "What are you thinking?"

Jasper smiled as the plan began to form itself. "What if I told you that Bella never really loved her husband, and there's a chance that she's been carrying a torch for one of our dancers?"

Alice laughed, "I'd tell you that you were completely crazy. Bella wouldn't fall in love with a dancer. She'd never be anywhere near enough to him to let those kinds of feelings grow."

Jasper looked around the room. Edward was waiting tables on the opposite side of the room and hadn't noticed Bella's table. That was probably a good thing. Jasper couldn't imagine how he might react to her presence. Then he looked over and found Emmett, he waved him over.

Emmett walked over slowly, "Hey, man. What's the deal?"

Jasper smiled, "She's divorced."

Emmett looked back and forth between Alice and Jasper. "I'm sorry to hear about your divorce miss. If there's anything that I can do for you…"

"Not me, you big oaf," Alice huffed. "My friend, Bella."

He looked back at Jasper. "What are you thinking?"

Jasper smiled, "I'm thinking that Edward is about to have a very busy schedule." He turned back to Alice. "I can get the boss to give Bella some special treatment if you're willing to put up a little bit of extra cash. I'd do it without, but Charlotte would kill me."

Alice didn't know why a girl's name falling from Jasper's lips like that bothered her. She pushed it off saying that she didn't like any hindrance that this unknown woman was putting on her ability to take care of her best friend. "What, is Charlotte your girlfriend or something?"

"Or something," he laughed. "She's our boss, and she'd never allow us to give what I'm offering you for free."

Alice smiled, "Okay, I'm willing to up some cash if you can promise that whatever you've got on your mind will have a positive outcome. We've had enough trouble lately."

"You have my word," Jasper said. "Her life is about to turn around."

Alice smiled up at the boys and turned back toward her table. Emmett looked at his friend, "Are you sure that this is such a good idea, dude? I mean, what if Edward makes a run for it? Or what if she doesn't want anything to do with him? I mean, we can't really hold that against her. Edward screwed up pretty badly."

Jasper shook his head, "It's our job to know women, Em. I could see it in her eyes. Her marriage has been failing for a while. Having our boy back is just what she needs. Besides," Jasper clapped Emmett's back. "If she runs, Edward would be a fool not to chase her."

Jasper turned toward the back to find Charlotte. "Take my tables for a few minutes, Emmett. I'm going to take care of this." Then he continued back to Charlotte's office.

Edward glanced over just as his friends separated, Jasper heading toward the back. He briefly wondered what happened, but then a woman tugged on his arm trying to get his attention, and there was no way that he was going to offend a customer by not paying attention to her. He smiled down her, "What can I get for you?"

She giggled like a school girl, though he knew that she had to be in at least her mid forties. "You," she said brazenly.

He rolled his eyes internally. So this was going to be one of _those_ tables. "I'll talk to the boss, but how about we start with some drinks."

The woman looked at her companion, probably her best friend, or possibly her sister. Then looked back at Edward. "Okay, two strawberry daquaries." She batted her eyelashes, "and then you."

Edward smiled before going back to the bar. He was going to have to find a way to spend as little time at that table as possible until his routine. They were good tippers, but they also liked to grab, and hit, and bite.

He scanned the room, he always made a thorough investigation to see who the best tippers would be. He saw Emmett waiting a table of what looked like three women. He could only see two of them. He was blocking the third one. On one side of him was a tall blonde and on the other side a short girl with black hair. Emmett had to be ecstatic to get that table. The blonde looked right up his alley. If he got lucky, she'd be willing to pay to see him a little more than just as her waitor.

"Two strawberries," the bartender said.

"Thanks man," he took the tray and headed back to the table.

The woman looked up at him expectantly. "Did you talk to your boss?"

He laughed, trying to sound like he was enjoying her company. "Patience, my dear. All good things come with time."

She smirked, eyeing him up and down. This used to embarrass him, but now it was the norm. It was actually strange when a client didn't look him over. They were purchasing him, if only for the night. "I sure hope so."

Edward smiled and moved on to the next table, this was going to be a long night.

* * *

There was a knock on the door to Charlotte's office. She looked up at the door in resignation. She really hoped that nothing was going wrong. She was in the middle of berating herself for sending the only man that she'd ever had true feelings for out to be touched and ogled, and usually worse, but the vultures paid for her life. "Come in."

Jasper peeked his head in, "We got a special request that I need to discuss with you."

Charlotte smiled. She could handle a special request, especially if they wanted to up a little extra cash. "Come on in." She waved to the chair in front of her desk. "Now what's this special request?"

"Well," Jasper began. "We have a girl out there who's been recently divorced. Her friends have requested something special for her. They specifically want to use Edward."

The smile on Charlotte's face widened. They didn't want to use Peter, and that made this so much better. Edward wouldn't mind doing this. He never minded doing anything, though she could tell that his mind wasn't where it was supposed to be. Mabye a private session in the cage would be just what he needed to force him back into the groove. "Okay," she said happily. "Tell the girls that when Edward goes into the cage, he'll be all hers, for about five hundred dollars."

"Should I tell Edward?" Jasper asked as he was standing up.

Charlotte nodded and waved Jasper away as she looked back at her computer. "Just make sure that she pays. You won't give out any freebies." It sucked a little to take Edward off the floor for any amount of time, but she felt for this woman, whoever she was. Divorces sucked, and every woman deserved to blow some steam in some way. And what better way than with an experienced dancer who could make her feel sexy for an hour or so.

Jasper smiled and ducked out of the room. He wouldn't have thought of the cage. That was a good idea, especially since it locked from the outside. If Bella was the type of girl to run, she would have a hard time once Alice had pushed her in, and Jasper knew he wouldn't have trouble convincing Alice of that.

He walked out into the club and stood over by the bar trying to figure out a way to tell Alice what was going on without Bella finding out. And then a way to keep Edward from figuring out that Bella was here. It was going to be a long night of playing 'look over there'. But it would be worth it if he could make this reconnection.

Alice looked over toward the bar and he jerked his head up in hope that she would understand what he wanted. She smiled and nodded and stood up, excusing herself from the table. She walked straight up to him, smirking the whole way. "You've kept me waiting a long time."

Jasper chuckled, and bowed, putting his head on a lower level than hers, not the easiest thing to achieve. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. But I bring good news."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest, "And how much should I expect this good news to cost me?" She raised an eyebrow as he stood up straight again.

"You're a smart girl," he said in awe. "It's gonna be five hundred." Alice opened her mouth, but Jasper held his hands up to stop her. "Here's the thing. It's worth it. They will both be locked in the cage together. There will be no way for either of them to get away unless one of us lets them out."

Alice smiled and looked back at her friend. "Okay," she pulled out her wallet and handed over the cash.

Jasper raised his eyebrow. "You carry five hundred dollars in cash around with you?"

Alice shrugged. "I had a strange feeling that I would need it." She smiled up at him. "I also have a feeling about you, and you should know," she reached up, hooking her fingers in his bow tie and pulled his face down so she was whispering into his ear, "my feelings are never wrong." Then she turned on her heels and walked back toward his table.

Jasper chuckled as he watched her go. Damn, he was in trouble.


	4. The Cage

Edward groaned as Jasper shoved him into the back to change out what was left of his fireman outfit. "Do I really have to do the cage tonight?"

Jasper rolled his eyes, "Come on, man. It's really not that bad. And yes, you have to. The woman's friends asked specifically for you. I can't figure it out. Honestly, I don't see what they could possibly want from you when they could have me."

Edward chuckled, "Okay, well what is it? A bachelorette party?"

Jasper hesitated, was it right to tell him yet. Maybe he should leave that for Bella to tell him. He shook his head, it would be better for him to know it going in. That would give him hope when he saw her come in, and make him less likely to run. "It's actually a divorce."

Edward groaned again, "That means she'll either be really grabby or all weepy. Why do women come here after they get divorced? Does seeing men they can't have really make them any happier at the end of the night?"

Jasper shrugged, realizing yet again what his friend had given up in this woman. She was his perfect match, even in this belief. "She doesn't really look like she wants to be here. I don't know if you'll get any response out of her at all. You could probably rape her and all she would do was stand there. It seems that her friends want her to be here."

Edward stepped into the bathroom to change while Jasper waited on him. When he came back out, he was wearing a small pair of leather underwear held up by a leather belt. Jasper looked him over. God, he was going to scare the hell out of the poor girl. Yes, the cage was definitely the best idea. "Are you ready to go?"

Edward nodded and began to follow him. "Do I at least get to know the girl's name?"

Jasper shook her head. "Her friends said she'd prefer if you didn't. She's already gonna be kind of upset that they're forcing her into this. She seemed kind of shy. She'll probably stand as far from you as the cage will allow. Just dance around her, and then when the thirty minutes are up, you can just let her go. No harm done."

Edward sighed, that didn't sound so bad. He couldn't really give a woman the proper attention tonight, He was far away, about six years back, and he kind of wanted to stay there. He was happiest there.

He followed Jasper out to the cage, where he would be locked in with some chick for the next half hour. It could be worse. He could have to take a woman to the back privately. He'd never done so before, but soon Charlotte might force him to. At least what they would be doing in the cage was publicly acceptable.

Jasper looked over at Alice meaningfully, she knew what that meant. She had to both distract Bella and get her over to the stage at the same time. Bella would run if she knew what was going on. The good news was, the minute she lifted her foot to take the first hurried step, she would be flat on her face. The heels really had been a good idea.

Alice looked around. Luck of luck, the restroom was on the same side of the room as the cage. She stood up, "I need to go to the bathroom. Bella, will you please go with me?"

Bella rolled her eyes, not really in the mood to move unless it was toward the door. "It's because of women like you that men think we can't go to the restroom by ourselves. One day they are going to burst in trying to figure out what it is that we do in there together."

"Just get your butt up and out of that chair little missy. I have to pee, and I don't like going by myself." Alice put her hands on her hips. "You're just going to have to deal with that."

Bella got up and followed her friend across the room. She was actually glad to get out of the club for a moment, even if it was just to an overcrowded bathroom. It was beginning to be too much. Sure, the waiters had been sweet and delivered to their every need, but that didn't change the fact that she wanted to go home to her son. She was losing valuable time with him.

A woman's voice came over the intercom system, but Bella ignored her. It didn't really matter who was going on the stage next, because she hadn't watched any of them. She had somehow managed to get Alice and Rosalie to let her face away from the stage. She couldn't believe they'd let her do that. At first she was suspicious, but then she decided that they were wearing down to the fact that she didn't want to be here in the first place. She'd almost turned around when a dancer named Edward had taken the stage, but she decided against it. There was no way that Edward would be at a place like this, and he wouldn't want her even if he was here. So she just resigned herself to listening to the stupid YMCA music.

"We have a special treat tonight, ladies," the woman's voice blared into Bella's thoughts. "Tonight, one lucky lady is going to be locked into the cage with Edward for a full half hour." There was an uproar and Bella covered her ears in annoyance. Maybe Alice and Rose would let her leave soon. Surely she'd sat the required amount of time to be allowed to see her son again.

A hand was around Bella's wrist. She looked back at her intruder to see her waiter, the big one. "Can you come with me, Miss?"

Bella looked around at Alice who was smiling at her, "Why? Have I done something wrong?"

Emmett shook his head and smiled down at her. "No, we just have a special treat for you. I need you to come with me."

Bella shook her head and tried to step away, not really able to get away from his hand which covered half her forearm, "I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong woman. I'm not really into this whole thing. I'm only here because my friends forced me to be."

Alice shoved on Bella's back hard. "Bella, I paid a hefty amount for this. You will follow him and you will enjoy this. There is no arguing this point. They are going to keep my money whether you follow him or not. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Alice pouted out her lower lip.

"Oh I'm going to kill you, Alice," Bella glared at her friend as Emmett pulled her away. She turned, trying to see where he was taking her, but he was huge and blocked her view. She tried to move to his side so that she could see around him, but he held her wrist so that she was firmly behind him. She sighed in resignation. She didn't know what was going on, but she might as well just wait and find out. Alice was going to get it for this.

"And here comes the lucky lady now." Bella started to breathe heavily as realization hit her. What had her friend got her into?

"Relax," Emmett said over his shoulder, "You're going to enjoy this."

Bella shook her head. How could she enjoy anything like this? She'd already let one man touch her who she didn't love. How could she deal with a complete stranger doing it in front of a room full of people? This was both humiliating and degrading. Tears started to build behind her eyes. Her vision blurred as she began to see the cage. The dancer was facing away from them, and all she could see was the back of his legs, and she could barely make out their shape.

Emmett pushed her lightly in the cage with a few more whispered encouragements. Then she heard the resounding lock and stood there, looking at the ground, waiting for what would happen next.

Edward hadn't even bothered to look back at the woman in the cage yet, but he found it encouraging that she hadn't jumped him yet. Perhaps Jasper had been right. He just had to dance around her for a little while and then send her on her way.

As the music started up, he began to dance against the bars. He felt like he was exciting the women in the audience more than the one behind him, because she'd yet to make a sound. He couldn't even hear soft footsteps telling him that she was moving toward him.

He slowly rubbed against the bars, eliciting a scream from a woman at a table closer to the cage. Edward could see Jasper in the audience working the rounds again. He shook his head at him and motioned for him to turn around. Edward sighed internally and began to face the poor woman who'd been forced into this behind him.

Bella didn't know what happened. One moment she was standing in the cage, looking down at the ground, and the next she was being pushed backwards, her head hitting the bars as she was forced to look up at the dancer. Her eyes closed and she groaned in pain. He'd really hit her head hard. Her entire back was probably going to have the bar imprints, not to mention the goose egg on the back of her head.

She growled, "Damnit. Don't you have any decency? First my friends force me into this damn cage and then you think it's appropriate to slam me into the cage bars. It…" Bella opened her eyes and froze. "Shit." All she could see was deep green eyes. She gripped a bar behind her for dear life.

Edward looked into the deep brown eyes that had haunted every one of his dreams and nightmares for the past five years. "Bella?" he whispered, almost afraid that she would disappear in less than a puff of smoke if he spoke too loudly. After all, she couldn't really be here. God would not grant him that miracle after how he'd screwed up the last one.

She was breathing heavily, not sure what to do. She reached around the bars, looking for the one that would open it. "Edward, what are you doing here?"

He chuckled, feeling oddly light for the first time since he'd said goodbye to her. "I could ask you the same thing."

Edward wrapped his arms around Bella, earning some catcalls from the women in the audience, but they were both oblivious to the audience now. "My friend's forced me to come out tonight. I don't usually do these types of things." She felt the need to make excuses for herself. She didn't want Edward to think that she was the type of woman to go around looking at naked men all the time. It was nothing like the girl that he'd known.

Edward was breathing heavily as he looked down at her, "They didn't tell me…I didn't know that you…divorced?" was all that he could get out.

She choked on her tears, it was all getting to be too much. "Yes," she whispered.

Edward's heart leapt for joy. His hand came up behind her head and he pulled her mouth to his, not caring about anything else. He pressed his lips firmly against hers, just enjoying the spark of life that he felt when their lips met.

The jolt rocked Bella's system. Her hands went from the bars behind her to Edward's hair. Their lips fell into perfect sync, moving together as if a day hadn't passed since they'd last been together. "Edward," she panted. "We can't." It was a feeble attempt, but she felt she had to try.

"Have to," Edward grunted back. "Not letting you go again."

Bella opened her eyes and was met by shining emeralds. She cried out again. Then she pulled back from him. The fear showing though her eyes. "I can't."

Edward stepped back. He looked down at the floor ashamed of himself, for everything. For the way that he'd let her go all those years ago. For the person that he'd become. And for the way he couldn't restrain himself when he'd first seen her. "I'm sorry Bella. I shouldn't have done that. It's just…"

The crowd's disgust with their lack of movement was becoming harder and harder to ignore. Edward groaned and stepped closer to her again. He moved close enough that, with his back to the crowd, it appeared that they were pressed together against the cage bars. "Bella, I made a mistake."

She nodded, "I know. I guess it would be surprising to see me here."

Edward chuckled, "That's not what I meant. Although, that's true. Neither of us would have been caught dead in a place like this growing up. Charlie would have killed us."

A small giggle slipped through Bella's lips, she couldn't help it. She looked up into his eyes. She knew that might be a mistake. He'd always dazzled her into doing the things that she wasn't really fond of. It used to be okay because he was always with her. Now, she didn't have that comfort. "Then what did you mean?"

He let out a staggered breath. He took her face in his hands, forcing her to continue to look into his eyes. "I meant that I love you. I meant that I was stupid to say those things in high school. And I meant that I was going to do everything that I could to prove that to you."

She studied his eyes for a moment, "Edward, how can I trust you? I've already dealt with too much. And my son. I can't put him through any more." Tears were falling silently from her eyes now. She wanted so desperately to believe him. But it would kill her if it was all a lie and ended like last time.

Edward wiped away the streaks of tears. "I know you can't trust me right now." He should be upset with this revelation. But he couldn't get his heart to stop doing those stupid happy flips at having her so close. He never thought that he'd get the chance to see her again, let alone talk to her. "I don't expect you to trust me right now. But I'm not going to give up. I will prove this to you."

Bella chewed on her lip as she looked up at the man who still held her heart. Did it make a difference if she gave him a chance or not. She'd never be with anyone else. She'd only been with James because Edward had told her to find someone else. "Edward, what if I said that I didn't want you to prove it to me?"

He looked into her eyes, trying to decipher exactly what it was that she was asking him. "I'd tell you tough shit. You're not going to be able to get away from me this time. I tried to be selfless as a kid, but the whole thing blew up in my face. I've lost all will to do that anymore. I know what I want, what I need to live, and that's you, Bella." The emotion in his eyes was staggering. "That's always been you, Bella."

She moaned. It didn't seem possible, but she was more aroused by what Edward had said than she had ever been by anything that James had ever done. She launched herself into his arms. She needed this. She needed to be selfish too. She knew there was a possibility that what he had said was just a lie. It was his job to keep the customers happy, but she couldn't find it in herself to care at the moment. She needed to be with him in this way. So she moved her lips against his.

Edward picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling her as close as he could possibly get her. And as close as he got her still wasn't enough. He needed her in every sense of the word. He needed her body, heart and soul. He needed to feel the way he could only feel when it was just the two of them.

Bella shook her head, needing to surface for air. Edward obliged, moving down to her neck, finding a sensitive spot, and sucking on it. It amazed him how much about her he was suddenly finding out. This was much farther than he'd ever let himself go with her before. He discovered that her skin tasted just as good as her lips. And, suddenly, he needed to know what the rest of her tasted like.

"Bella," he grunted, "If you want me to stop, you need to tell me now. I'm not going to be able to stop myself from taking you somewhere more private and taking you."

Bella's breath stuttered. Her mind was no longer working, but her body was quickly responding to his. He wasn't wearing much material, and the little piece that he was wearing wasn't hiding from her how hard he was getting. She ground herself into him a little and gasped. "Don't want you to stop."

He nodded and continued to assault her skin until she laced her fingers into his hair and pulled his face up to hers. Bella's tongue darted out and pushed past his lips. He opened them to her, surprised at how brave she was compared to the shy girl that he'd known as a teenager. Their tongues danced together, perfectly choreographed, and yet exciting and new all the same.

Jasper smiled over at Alice, who was clapping her hands excitedly. This was going more perfectly than she'd planned. She'd never seen Bella so passionate before about anything other than her son. And it was obvious that Jasper had been right, this was no stranger.

"What the hell just happened?" Rosalie sputtered. She'd only been told a little bit about the plan. She knew that Bella was going into the cage, but this all seemed too off kilter for her.

Alice smiled, "Apparently, the man in the cage is the love of Bella's life. Grew up together, or something like that. Would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it."

Rosalie just continued to stare as her modest friend hooked up with a stripper in a cage. "Oh, we are definitely getting this story." She smirked. Who knew that there was a vixen beneath the Sunday School mother exterior.

"Oh, don't worry," Alice said eyeing Jasper's back as he served another table their drinks. "Now that he's back in her life, it should only take a little tequila to get the whole story."


	5. Heart over Mind

The half hour passed quickly for both Bella and Edward, and yet they weren't ready to give it up. Edward couldn't get enough of Bella, and Bella didn't know how much longer Edward would be willing to stay with her. Each moment was more than she'd ever thought that she'd get again, and she wanted to keep him as long as she could.

There was a tapping on the cage bars that jolted both Edward and Bella from their haze. Emmett was tapping on the bars, smirking at them. "Okay, kids. Mommy and Daddy are gonna be here soon and you're going to want to hide the evidence."

Edward rolled his eyes at his friend, but made no move away from Bella. He searched the room. "Do you think that you can do a few hours without me?"

Emmett raised an eyebrow, "Hours?"

Bella blushed profusely. What kind of person would Emmett think that she was if she went with Edward? He didn't look surprised by the request, more...expectant. Bella mind raced. How many times had Edward done this before? Was she not the first woman who he'd wanted to spend extra time with after they'd been in the cage together? She wanted to mentally slap herself. Of course she wasn't the first. This was probably more that her friends had paid for. She was going to have to kill them.

She shook her head, they wouldn't have known what they were getting her into. They would have thought it was just some kind of intervention. Plus, she really hadn't been laid since before Jacob was born. She supposed she could see where their concern was coming from.

"Em," Edward still hadn't let go of Bella. "Please. You have no idea how much I'll owe you."

Bella looked between the two men. Was this some kind of act? Was it meant to make her feel better about herself? She chewed on her lip and watched as Emmett made his decision. He smiled at his friend, "Okay, bro. But you're giving me details."

Bella blushed again and Edward's gaze became murderous. Emmett actually backed away from him as if physically burned by his gaze. "You're not getting _anything_ like that, Emmett."

Emmett raised an eyebrow, "Jeez, man. I was just kidding." He shook his head and looked at Bella. "He's touchy about you. Do you know how long it took us to get him just to tell us about you? I swear, if his wallet hadn't fallen open to a picture of you, we may never have known about you."

Bella looked up at Edward confused, "You have a picture of me in your wallet."

Emmett laughed, "Not just a one. He has several." He quickly backtracked realizing how that might have sounded. "Not that he's a stalker. They're old pictures. Pictures of y'all together in high school."

Bella studied Emmett for a moment and then looked over at her friends. "Why do I get the feeling that it wasn't a coincidence that I ended up in the cage with Edward tonight?"

Emmett laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. He didn't know the exact answer to that. That had been an arrangement between Alice and Jasper. "I thought you wanted a few hours with her, Edward. You're wasting time standing here talking to me. And Charlotte's going to notice if you don't get a move on it."

Edward nodded and pulled Bella from the stage, leaving Emmett to close up the cage. Emmett chuckled as he watched his overeager friend disappear into the shadows. Yup, he always knew there was something else hidden in there. It just didn't make any sense for someone to be so….empty. There really was no other way to describe what he had been before half an hour ago.

Edward tugged on Bella's hand until they ended up in the dressing room that he shared with Emmett and Jasper. The door closed, and he immediately turned and had her back against it, kissing her like he was getting his first breath of air since the last time that he'd kissed her. And honestly, that's how he felt. She tasted so sweet, and he was surprised that the memory of her was so dull compared to the real thing. He thought he'd preserved her perfectly in his memory.

"Edward," she murmered around his lips.

He didn't pull back to look at her. He couldn't. He was afraid to lose physical contact with her. This was where he needed to be. It was saving his fucking soul. "Bella?"

Bella tried to breath. She wasn't so sure anymore how much of a good idea this was. What if he left her after this? What if this was just a job? The last time it had nearly killed her. She wasn't even sure that if he left her again, Jacob would even be able to save her. "Edward, we can't do this. This is wrong."

It hurt to do, but Edward removed his lips from hers so that he could look at her in the face. He didn't move his body though. He needed to touch her, and if she wanted to have a conversation, she was going to do it pressed against the door by his body. "Bella, I love you," he breathed. "I can't be away from you anymore."

Her breathing stuttered as she looked into his eyes. His eyes had never lied to her before. She had known for more than a month that their relationship was in trouble because his eyes had been so troubled. Now they were shining. She wanted to believe his eyes and words so badly, but his job now was to act. Who knew if he hadn't learned to use his eyes to be more convincing? "Edward," she nearly sobbed.

He leaned his forehead against the door next to her head. "Bella, please. I can't live without you. I've been dead since that day, and now that I have you here with me, it would kill me more literally to let you go again."

Bella took his face in her hands so that she could see his eyes. His beautiful green eyes said the same thing. "Maybe you believe that now. But, Edward, you'll get bored of me. You'll want someone else. Everyone gets bored of me eventually. You did after high school, my now ex-husband did. There is nothing in me to hold you."

Edward growled and moved away from her to go dig through his duffel. He spoke as his back was to her. "I never got bored of you, Bella. I did something stupid. I gave you an out. I thought that you should see what was out there. But I never thought that you'd actually move on. My heart always believed that you'd come back to me."

Edward smiled as the small jewelry box came into view. He plucked it out and turned back toward her. He walked toward her where she was standing shocked against the door. He opened the little box to display the ring. "Before we graduated high school, I had my grandmother's ring sized to fit you. I had every intention of proposing to you."

Bella stared down at the ring and swallowed thickly. "But you didn't"

He groaned, "No."

The ring stared up at her, and she didn't know whether the urge was stronger to throw it across the room as it stood as a reminder of what could have been, or taken it and slipped it on her left ring finger where he claimed it was supposed to belong. Both urges scared her and she knew that neither was an option. So instead she just stood there in shock, not sure of what she should do, say or think about his confession.

Edward watched her internal conflict. "Bella," he whispered. "My feelings are still the same. I want you, forever. Now that you're here, I'm not going to give you up again." He took a deep breath. "I want to marry you."

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes flew back up to his. He stared into her eyes for an immeasurable moment. "I want to stay with you forever. You are the only woman I have ever loved. I haven't dated, I haven't kissed another woman, I haven't even accepted any of the offers from clients. I have always wanted you and no one else. Will you please end my self-imposed suffering and say that you will spend the rest of our lives with me?

"No," she breathed.

His heart stuttered and he just stood there. They held eye contact. "Edward, I just got out of a messy marriage, and you expect to just show up after no contact for six years and tell me that you love me and marry me. No, Edward."

She turned to place her hand on the door, and he reached out to place his over hers. "Bella please wait."

She turned back to him, rage in her eyes. "Edward, you have no idea of the suffering that I've gone through since you 'let me go'. Edward, you knew I never wanted to go. You knew that I loved you. And you just threw me out. What makes you think that you even have the right to ask me that type of a question?'

He nodded, "You're right. I have no right. But, like I said, I'm not letting you go." His voice was completely calm with his resolve. "I will do everything I can to prove to you that I love you, have always loved you. And I will ask you to marry me until your answer is yes."

Bella was breathing heavily with her frustration. How could he stand there so calmly stating these things? "Why?"

"Because I love you, Bella," he stated simply. "And, as selfish as it is, I will not be without you again. I will spend the rest of my life with you, and we will both be happy, the way that we were meant to be."

Bella swallowed. The idea of him doing this both excited and worried her. It wasn't just her anymore that he would be affecting. What about her son? What about her friends? Her dad hadn't known how to handle her, and they really hadn't been as close since the break up. He'd originally tried to help, but had really given up after a few months. She really couldn't afford to have her life turned upside down like that again.

She took a deep breath. "Edward, we can't. I can't go through this all over again."

She turned back to the door and placed her hand on the knob. She tried to turn the knob, but her hand wouldn't cooperate. She stared down at it, but she still couldn't get her muscles to turn the stupid piece of metal so that she could escape. Damn it, she thought. Her vision blurred and she placed her head against the door. Her heart didn't want to escape. It knew that it couldn't be happy with anyone else.

"Bella," Edward whispered behind her. He moved closer, and she began to feel heat from his body.

His body. She suddenly remembered that he wasn't really wearing much of anything. She sighed, "Could you put something on. I'll talk to you, but I'd rather you wear" she hesitated, still the girl that he'd once known, "something."

He nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't going to run. She was going to talk to him. His heart started to beat erratically. Only a moment ago, it's been pounding his chest in fear. She'd have every right to leave. But now, he wasn't going to be able to stay away from her, not even if she'd wanted him to.

A shirt and a pair of jeans were pulled over his little number. "Okay," he breathed. "I'm completely dressed."

She turned back to look at him. The only problem was, the image was still there. She could still see him standing there without any cloths on. It was burned into his mind. She took a deep breath and pushed it away. Then she went to sit in one of the chairs in front of the mirror. She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them. "I'm going to be honest. I'm not sure that I can trust you enough to be in a relationship with you. But I also know that it would kill me to walk away from you." She looked up at him. "That's gonna be a bit of a problem. Edward, for my sanity, I need to walk out that door," she pointed in the direction of the door. "But I'm afraid that if I leave you, I will never be able to have my heart again."

Edward nodded, she couldn't leave him. It wasn't the same as she didn't want to leave him, but at the moment, it was better than nothing. He would take it. "Are you willing to give me a chance to prove myself?"

Bella closed her eyes, was she? She wanted to be. Even moments ago, when she had been crying and yelling, she had felt more whole than she had in years. His presence made her feel whole, and as scary as that was, she needed to be with him. She slowly nodded, "I'm willing to see if I can trust you again."

Edward couldn't help the smile that stretched across his face. They sat there, just soaking in what she'd said. They were going to be together, and Edward was going to make sure that it was forever.

Bella licked her lips and looked around. If she was doing this, she might as well go all out. She found a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down her number and address. Then she handed it to him, looking up into his eyes. She needed to see it there. She needed to see the love that she'd once felt from him there before she handed over the paper. She sighed in relief when it hit her. It was still there. "This is my phone number and address. When you get a night off, we can go out and see if there is anything that we can do."

He took the paper and looked down at it. Whether she knew it or not, she had just shown that there was a part of her that trusted him. She wouldn't have been able to hand over such information if she didn't. She wouldn't risk her son by giving her information out to someone that she didn't want near him.

"Thank you, Bella," he whispered.

She nodded and turned toward the door again. Placing her hand on the knob, she noticed the same stupid resistance in her body to leave him. He was like a drug. One taste, and she was completely addicted. How was she ever going to get away from him?

Bella growled and pivoted so that she was facing him again. She looked deeply into his eyes. "Well, if I'm going to hell," she mumbled to herself.

Edward didn't have the time to ask what she'd meant before she flung herself at him. His arms encompassed her instinctively as her lips crushed his again. The force was nearly bruising, but neither of them cared. Edward tried desperately to hold onto the ring and the paper as his mind was clouded over with pure lust.

Bella pushed her tongue passed his lips, needing to taste him. There was no fighting it anymore. She needed him, and she was going to let him prove to her that he wanted her. Whether she liked it or not, her heart was screaming at her to say 'Yes, Edward. Yes, I'll marry you.' But her head had different plans. She needed to protect herself, and she needed to protect her son.

"Jacob," she pulled back breathing heavily. She looked up into Edward's eyes. "I need to get home!"

She finally found the strength to finally turn the stupid knob and ran back toward the public part of the club. She ran to find her friends, running into Jasper along the way. He smiled down at her, "Hi, Bella." He glanced down the way she came. "Edward in the dressing room? Charlotte's gonna kill him if he doesn't get back on the floor soon."

Bella looked up at Jasper. She nodded, "Yeah, he's back there." It was hard for her to speak as she took in the casual way that he'd spoken to her. "Why do I get the feeling that you had something to do with this?"

He smiled down at her, "Now, ma'am, what could you possibly be accusing me of?"

"Uh-huh," she smirked. "I'll bet you had help too." She saw everything play out and gasped. Then she turned away from him to stalk back toward the club. "I am so getting Alice."

"When you talk to her," Jasper laughed as she stalked away. "Tell her I expect to see her around again."

Bella wanted to look back at him, because he'd definitely taken her off guard, but if she did that, she might trip. It was better to make somewhat of a graceful exit. She would explore the friendship that had formed between Alice and this dancer at some later date. Instead she focused on the pulsing of the lights ahead. She needed to get home, to her son.

Jasper continued back to the dressing room, shaking his head and laughing. He opened to door to find a fully clothed Edward, looking down at a jewelry box and a piece of paper. "Hey, man. Charlotte noticed that you were gone. We need to get you back out there now before she decides that you're too much trouble to keep on."

Edward looked up at Jasper with a goofy grin on his face and his eyes slightly misty. "She's gonna give me a chance," he whispered.

Jasper whistled and waved his hand in front of his friend's face. "Dude, did you hear what I just said? Charlotte's going to be looking for someone to replace you, someone who'll put out more if you don't get your butt back out there."

Edward laughed, "That's probably for the best. A girl like Bella shouldn't have to deal with a boyfriend who's at a club all night letting other women touch him."

"So it went well?" Jasper asked.

"Yup," Edward smiled proudly. "She said she would give me a chance. I'm going to call her to go out on a date or something on my first night off from the club. But honestly, it's been a long time coming for me to leave here. I only stuck around to keep you guys in check."

Jasper was taken aback by this side of Edward that he'd never seen before. He'd guessed that he hadn't always been this closed off guy. It just didn't seem normal, but he never would have guessed that this one small girl had anything to do with it. He shook his head, "Alright, but for tonight, you're supposed to finish up on the floor. So waiter costume, and quick. I can't cover for you for much longer. She can only watch Peter longingly for a little bit without getting caught."

They both laughed and Jasper left, giving Edward time to get dressed in privacy. Jasper smiled. What were the odds that this girl would walk into this club on the exact same night that they found out who she was? And dragging along the most perfect little woman he'd ever seen with her. Somebody upstairs was smiling down on them right now.


	6. Change

Bella rushed to the table. "Come on, you promised, just a few hours. I want to go home to Jacob."

Alice huffed, "We just got here. And honestly, I don't know why you want to leave. I mean, that dancer you were attached to on stage was hot."

Rosalie stood up, and Alice glared at her. "Come on, Alice. I think tonight's goal has been achieved." She eyed Bella carefully. "No one is going to be moping around anymore."

Bella smiled at Rosalie thankfully. She needed to get home. This was the longest she'd been away from her son since the day that she'd found out about Victoria. It was the last time that she'd left his side.

Alice got up as well, "You get your way tonight, Bella. But I'm getting a story on cage boy whether you like it or not. We're not stupid. You know him." And love him, Alice wanted to add. But she had a strange feeling that would be pushing Bella too hard. She wasn't ready to hear that.

"Whatever, Alice," Bella said as they walked from the table.

"I agree," Rosalie said, and Bella huffed feeling betrayed. "Bella, don't think you can get this one past us. We may not have known each other much longer than a year, but there is one thing that I knew for sure you would never do, not even drunk. And that's throwing yourself at a man. I never even saw you do that when James came home. This is no stupid rebound."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Fine!" She was nearly running from the club. She needed to get home to her son. She felt terrible for even forgetting about him for a moment, but now that he was on her mind, she couldn't be away from him for another moment. "I will tell you all the gory details, but it's not as big of a deal is as you think it is."

They both snorted. "You're right," Alice said. "It's a bigger deal than we think it is. Come on Bella. Two of the waiters knew who you were. And the glances they exchanged while they were discussing what they were going to do, it was obvious that there was something going on below your surface that Rose and I don't know."

"Which is really not fair," Rosalie exclaimed. "You know everything there is to know about us, and you hold juicy details on this stripper from us."

They clambered into the car, and Bella was so thankful when they took off without argument. "In my defense, he wasn't a stripper when I knew him. He was just a regular high school boy" Okay, that was a lie. He'd never been just a regular boy. He'd always been amazing.

"Again, Bells," Alice said. "We want all the details."

"And I will give it all to you," Bella said as she bounced her leg. It would be like twenty minutes until they were home, and it was starting to worry her. What if Jacob was giving Angela trouble? What if he'd gotten sick and they didn't know how to take care of him? What if he missed her?

Alice seemed to be reading her mind tonight. "And we have twenty minutes for you to tell us, so spill."

"No," Bella said as she shook her head. "Not now. I still need to work through this in my head before I relive the past. I'm not ready to drag up old memories unless I know for sure what I'm gonna do."

"Fine," Alice huffed. She seemed to be getting very little out of Bella tonight. If it hadn't been for her tricking Bella across the room and the big waiter, she thought his name was Emmett, taking Bella onto the stage, she wouldn't have even gone into the cage with this man who obviously meant a lot more to her than she was willing to tell them. "You get one day. Tomorrow night, Rose and I are coming over to figure this whole thing out."

Bella groaned, but relented. She knew that was the best offer that she was gonna get out of the demented pixie. If she pushed too hard, she'd end up with a belly full of tequila, and they'd know everything. That's how they'd learned about James's affair, and she knew they weren't afraid to use it against her again.

She was so relieved when they made it to her house. She rushed to the next door and was relieved when Angela opened the door, Jacob in her arms before she even got to the door. "Hey, baby," Bella cooed. "Were you good for Angela? Did you miss Mommy?"

Angela just shook her head, "What did you do, step into the club and then rush right back out. You've been gone for like three hours. You really can't have gotten bored that quickly."

"Didn't get bored," Bella huffed as she reached out for her son. "My supposed best friends forced me into a cage with a male dancer."

Angela grinned, "I am so jealous."

A humorous laugh escaped Bella's lips. "You wouldn't be if you knew the circumstances." Bella brushed back Jacob's hair and kissed his forehead. "The male dancer just so happened to be my high school sweetheart. I hadn't really been watching, otherwise I would have left sooner. But when I wound up, locked in the cage with him, he attacked me."

Angela giggled, "And how did that end?"

"Well," Bella rocked Jacob and watched his eyes close. "After a thirty minute make out session in a cage surrounded by about a hundred horny women, he took me to the back to continue."

"Oooo," Angela was grinning from ear to ear. She'd suspected James's infidelity, but didn't want to tell Bella without any proof. So she was glad to see Bella doing something besides sitting around moping. "This sounds hot."

Bella groaned, "He is, which did not help my judgment."

"Did you?" Angela opened her eyes wider hoping to convey her thoughts without having to say them.

Bella shook her head vehemently. "Of course not. Just kissing. But I gave him my number and my address, and soon he'll be calling for a date."

Angela clapped her hands together. "This is so great, Bella. This is just what you need. You need to get back out there. You need to move on from that asshole."

"Which one?" Bella mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Angela tried to read her friend, but it just wasn't working. Bella's wall was suddenly back up, and she couldn't see past it.

Bella shivered as a breeze whipped around the porch. "Nothing, don't worry about it. I just need to take Jacob home before he gets too cold and sick."

Angela nodded. There wasn't much else she could do. She hoped that Bella would tell her what was bothering her soon, because it wasn't healthy. There was obviously something old that had been festering and was just working it's way up to the surface. She stood and watched Bella as she carried Jacob up to their house and made sure that they got in. Nothing sucks more than being locked out of your house, and Bella looked a little scatterbrained at the moment. Then Angela closed her door and went to find her husband so they could go to bed.

Bella carried her son into the house and walked directly to the nursery. She would normally place him in the cradle after he was asleep, but she wanted a little time with him before she put herself to bed as well. She sat down in the rocking chair and used the tips of her toes to create the gentle swaying motion of the chair.

"What am I going to do Jacob?" she asked the sleeping child in her arms. "How can I let myself go through this again?" Her breath was labored. "But how can I not go through it? How can I give up this chance to be with him again?" She sniffed against the tears that tried to build up in her eyes. "He's the only man that I'll ever want, the only man that I've ever wanted."

Jacob whimpered in his mother's arms before opening his eyes. He looked up at his mother, wonder in his expression. She nearly choked as their eyes met. Leaning down, she pressed her lips to his forehead again. "Your father was not the man that he was supposed to be, baby." She wanted so desperately to know what her son would think if he really knew what the situation was. "Edward would have been such a better father to you. He would have wanted to see you all the time, always wanted you around." Jacob whimpered as if in understanding. "I want that for you so badly. I want you to have a father who loves you."

Jacob's whimpering eventually progressed to a crying, so Bella lifted them from the chair so that she could change him. And then of course it was time for a feeding. Bella smiled as she burped her son and then nuzzled his nose as he yawned, stretching his little fisted hands above his head. "I promise, baby," she whispered as Jacob's eyes closed again. "No matter what happens, you will always be the most important person in my life"

Gently placing Jacob down in his crib, Bella finally relaxed. She watched him breathing for several minutes before removing herself to her bedroom.

She dressed for bed before seating herself by the window with her hairbrush. She gently moved it through the thick strands as she looked up at the sky. She found the northern star, feeling kind of silly, but needing guidance from somewhere. "What am I supposed to do?" Bella asked of the pulsing star. "My heart wants me to throw myself into his arms, but my head keeps getting in the way. It won't let me make a move toward him. But I need him," a single tear streaked down her cheek. "I feel incomplete without him," she whispered. She hunched in on herself, feeling her chest contract again, something that told her that her body was aware of the fact that Edward was again missing.

Sadly, the skies were silent. Heaving a sigh, she crawled under the covers, hoping for a peaceful sleep to help her gain the answer that she was so desperately looking for.

* * *

Edward knocked on Charlotte's door. He'd made his decision, and it was time to tell her. He heard a few muffled sounds before Charlotte's voice called out to him. "Who is it?"

"It's Edward, Char," he said as he leaned against the door frame. "I really need to talk to you. It can't wait."

He could hear grumbling and a bit of shuffling around before Peter emerged, looking a bit disheveled and Charlotte called him in. She looked him up and down, and he could tell by the way that she eyed him, as well as the way that her hair was a mess and her lips were swollen, that she was not happy with his intrusion. "This had better be good, Edward"

Swallowing the lump caused by the fear that was sparked by the fire in her eyes. "Well, I want to put in my notice. It's time for me to quite dancing and settle down."

Charlotte's eyes widened as she looked Edward over again. She hadn't realized it, but Edward was different now. Then sadness filled her eyes. "Edward, if I take you off the floor, then I'll have to leave Peter." Her head dropped into her hands. "I was going to take him off." She groaned.

"I'm sorry Charlotte," and he really was. They'd all seen the way that Peter and Charlotte watched each other. They were falling hard for each other, and the club was getting in the way. "But I can't stay here any longer. It's time for me to settle into my career and start a family."

Resting her chin on her hand, Charlotte gestured for Edward to take a seat in the chair across from her. She sighed. It was amazing that Edward had stuck around as long as he had. She really hadn't expected him to do so after he'd graduated and gotten a real job But it still hurt that she was going to have to sacrifice a possible life with Peter, for at least a little while longer. "What brought all this on, Edward?"

He simply shrugged, "I'm going to settle down with the woman I love. I've spent long enough without her, and she deserves better than an 'exotic dancer'."

Charlotte's eyes widened even farther. "You are just full of surprises tonight, aren't you?" She slumped back in her chair, "And who is this woman that suddenly has you wanting to change the way you've been living for the past five years."

Edward looked away, not really sure how to answer her question. Realization flickered through Charlotte's mind. "It can't be," she whispered. "You're gonna marry a woman after half an hour in the cage with her. Edward, I thought you had better sense than that."

"Char, I'm not marrying a woman I just met," he said exasperatedly.

Eyebrow raised, "So you're not marrying the woman that you were making out with in the cage. I'm not stupid, Edward. You've never done that kind of thing before."

He nodded, "I am marrying the woman that I was with in the cage, but like I said earlier, I didn't just meet her. She was my high school sweetheart."

"How sweet," Charlotte said halfheartedly. She was happy for Edward, she really was. She just hated that Edward's leaving prevented her from having Peter all to herself. "Can you give me a month? We're going to have to hire someone to take over for you, and they're going to need to be trained."

"Of course," Edward said with a smile. He'd worried that she was going to give him a harder time than this. "I'll do anything you need me to do," he said honestly.

"Except stay," she whispered, close to tears.

Edward leaned forward, trying to get her to look him in the eyes. "Char, you can take Peter off the floor as well. In fact, it might do business some good to change out the guys. You've had the same crew for too long."

Charlotte rubbed her forehead in irritation. "You're right," she groaned. "But how am I supposed to come up with a whole new crew?"

"Hire them," Edward said casually. "Most of us have reached an age that we should be retiring from this work anyway. It's probably best to be ready for most of us to go."

Charlotte looked up into his eye, sadness clearly displayed. "You're really trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, Charlotte," Edward said. "I just can't let this chance get away from me. It's a long story, but I screwed up years ago, and I'm not going to do it again."

Charlotte smiled involuntarily, "So much has changed for you tonight," she whispered. "I know that I can't hold you here. Just give me a month and we'll have this all worked out." Edward smiled and moved to get up. "Will you get Peter for me? I want to talk to him before he leaves."

Charlotte crossed her arms on her desk and laid her head down as she listened to the clicking of the door as Edward left. She waited for several minutes, trying to find a way around Edward's logic. She didn't like change, but she couldn't stand watching Peter out there anymore. It just didn't work.

There was a slight knock on the door before Peter entered. "Hey, sweetheart," Peter smiled down at her like she wasn't his boss, and she loved that. "Edward said that you wanted to see me?"

Charlotte nodded her head and moved to the couch patting the spot next to her for Peter to sit down. It scared her how much she felt for him, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way anymore. "Peter," she said as she took his hand. "I want to take you off the floor," she said without looking up at him.

"Why," he asked nervously. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," her head shot up so that she could look him in the eyes. "No, Peter, nothing like that." She reached up and caressed his cheek. "I just can't watch you on the floor anymore. I can't watch other women grab at you, I can't watch as you dance on the stage, showing my clients what should only be for my eyes. Peter, I want to be with you. I want it to be just you and me."

Peter couldn't help but smile, "Do you mean that?"

"Yes," she whispered, trying to read his eyes. "I do mean that. I won't take you off the floor if that's where you want to be, but I want a real relationship with you."

Leaning in, Peter brushed his lips against Charlotte's. He'd never seen her so unsure of herself. She was the one to originally approach him, the one to have set the pace and the rules for their relationship, and she was the one who was going to have to keep their relationship moving forward. "I want to be with you," he whispered against her lips. "I've wanted that for longer than you can imagine."

Feeling a flood of relief and a strange feeling that she wasn't sure that she could pinpoint, she caught the front of Peter's shirt and dragged him toward her. She crushed their lips together. It was amazing that this man would give up dancing for her. She knew how much her dancers made. She signed their paychecks as well as watched her clients stuff their pants, or whatever scraps of clothing they happened to be wearing, full of bills.

Together, they adjusted themselves into a position where Peter was hovering over Charlotte on the couch. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, emotions that they were not able to recognize shining back at them. Leaning down to capture Charlotte's lips again, Peter thanked God that he was finally getting his girl.


	7. The Day After

Edward looked up at the white ceiling of his apartment, smiling. The sun had just started to peek in through his window and he was going to have to get up in a couple of minutes to get ready for school. Just because his life was falling back into place didn't mean that it was going to affect his students. Except, maybe now, they'd see him smile. He wondered briefly if he'd ever smiled in his classes.

Slowly, Edward swung his legs over the side and sat up. He felt lighter. The world wasn't resting on his shoulders anymore. His heart felt like it was beating for the first time since he'd walked away from those God forsaken football bleachers. He'd known what he was doing. If he had tried to do it anywhere else in town, he would have never been able to do it. There were memories of them together everywhere, and he wouldn't be able to hurt her, or himself, in a place where all he wanted to do was remember how good and perfect they were together.

Looking at the clock which only showed 7:15, Edward wondered when it would be acceptable to call Bella. At one time, he knew that she'd be willing to answer one of his calls at any time, day or night, awake or asleep, but he didn't know anymore. He'd screwed up massively, and there were new limits that hadn't been there before. But the limits were welcome, because they meant that she was there.

Edward got ready in a haze. He still couldn't believe that she was going to let him back into her life. He didn't deserve to be with her after everything that he had put her through. Not only had he broken her heart right before they left for college, he'd also pushed her into the arms of a man who had shown her that there was no way you could trust a man. And yet, she had given him both her number and address. She was going to let him be a part of both her life and the life of her child.

When he was completely dressed, he picked up his phone and stared at it for several moments. He had those seven digits memorized as well as programmed in the phone, and he was so close to pressing the button, but he decided against it. It was early. She wouldn't be up now.

* * *

Bella groaned and rolled over, tired, but knowing that she had to get up. Jacob had just started crying, and that meant that her day was about to begin. She couldn't understand why, but Jacob was an early riser. He'd have her up as soon as the sun started to peek through her window. Even putting him in a room where the sun didn't filter through any type of blinds, window, door, or crack in the wall (which she'd checked every surface for) during the morning didn't help.

The baby monitor continued to blare next to her head. "Alright Jacob," she yawned as she got out of bed. "Mommy's on her way. Just give me a minute to find my ever illusive equilibrium."

She made slow progress, slightly hindered by her lack of sleep with a mixture of the one drink that she had nursed at the club. It had been the first time that she'd had one since the tequila night with the girls, and it had left her a little less aware than she would have liked to feel.

When she finally reached his crib, Jacob was reaching up for her. Bella pulled him up into her arms and performed the sway bounce motion that she'd somehow perfected to keep him quiet. "Shhhh. It's okay, Mommy's right here, Jake." She continued to rock him until she reached the changing station and set about making him dry and dressing him in his first outfit of the day. There was, of course, no doubt that he would end up in at least two more outfits before his pajamas. He could be a real mess sometimes.

After a changing and a feeding, Bella set about cleaning the house. She wasn't sure why she obsessed over this anymore. She really needed to find a job, or go back to school, or maybe even home. But she wasn't sure that she could do that. She didn't want to burden her father again, and she didn't want to leave her friends here. They really had been her support system through all of this, and she couldn't leave that behind. But she felt at loose ends. She didn't have the kind of degree that she could just go out and get a job with, at least, not without an extreme amount of luck.

It didn't take long to clean the already immaculate space. The only thing that she really had to take care of was the shelf full of books that she had knocked over last night. And now she stood in the middle of her living room, looking for something, anything to fill her time.

Jacob whimpered and she looked down at him in his little bouncer. She knelt down in front of him, and he held out his hands, grasping for her and giggling. "What do you think about going to the park?" She asked him.

He continued to giggle, and Bella decided that would be the best answer that she would get.

After strapping Jacob into his stroller, Bella checked the clock, 8:30. She wondered if Edward was up, and if he was, would he call her? She wasn't sure that she was ready to take his call, but not wanting to miss it, she checked to make sure that she was carrying her cell phone before stepping out into the sunshine.

* * *

Edward set his briefcase down by the podium before turning toward the blackboard and writing down the prompt for the morning. The school was insisting that students did a certain amount of writing in each class, so Edward had taken to the students writing short essays about how a certain song on the syllabus made them feel. It was an easy grade for the students while still making the higher powers happy enough to continue paying him.

After he'd written it, he put down the chalk and wiped the white dust off his hands onto his black pants. If he wasn't in such a good mood, he would have never done such a thing. "Okay class," he said causing several students to give him a strange look. "Today, we are going to listen to Debussy's _Clair de Lune _and _Le faune_."

All the students continued to stare at him as if they couldn't understand what he was saying. Some of them nodded and a few of them ducked their heads like he might be a madussa and they shouldn't look at him at all. Edward raised an eyebrow at their reaction to him, but did no more. Instead, he sat down at the piano and began to play the pieces that he wanted them to hear.

When he looked back up at the students, they were all writing quickly. He didn't know whether to be impressed with their attentiveness or worried that they were moving through the assignment too quickly. He just shook it off and began the class. Of course he was working on the basics with this class. Most of them had never seen a music note as more than a decoration. And the majority of them were probably tone deaf. But everyone needed to start somewhere.

"Today class," he said, sounding oddly like a recording, "we will be working on beats."

Almost an hour later, he dismissed the class and went about picking up his supplies. He didn't have another class until after lunch today, and then he could go home. He'd probably call Bella when he got home too. And he couldn't help but smile at the thought.

As he was making his way out of the classroom, he heard one of his students speaking. He was going to pass them, but his name caught his attention. "Dude, what's up with Professor Cullen today? Did you see him smiling?"

"Yeah," a feminine voice sighed. "He's uber hot. I always thought that he looked gorgeous with his dark and depressed thing, but I think they might have to come and clean my seat."

Edward winced as he realized what he was saying and he heard her friend, a guy gag. "Could you please not talk about Professor Cullen that way? He gives me the heeby geebies. One smile doesn't clear him in my book."

Shaking his head, Edward waited for them to pass. He didn't want them to think that he'd been eaves dropping on them. He hadn't meant to listen, it was just that he felt oddly perceptive all of a sudden, as if he were awake for the first time since he came here. And sadly, it was probably exactly that.

* * *

Bella rolled the stroller back into her home after a walk that she had stretched out to last most of the day. She would have stayed out longer too, if it weren't for the fact that Rose and Alice would have killed her. They were going to be on their way soon, and there was nothing she could do to stop their madness. They wanted to know what had happened between her and Edward, and they were going to find out, whether she wanted to tell them or not.

Jacob made a slight noise of protest on being in the house and not in his mother's arms.

She immediately reached in for him. "It's okay, Jacob," she crooned. "We're home. And it's going to be quiet for approximately thirty minutes. And then your aunts are going to get here, and I can't really tell you what will happen then."

Rocking Jacob gently to his high chair, Bella began to make preparations for their guests.

Of course Alice was right on time, dragging Rosalie behind her. While Alice bounced around, Rose picked up her adopted nephew. "Bella, I want one. Can I take Jacob?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "You know how to get one Rosalie. You just have to find a guy and make one. Preferably one that you're planning on sticking with of course."

Rose's eyes glinted and she licked her lips. "That stripper might do nicely."

Turning so quickly that she nearly landed on her ass, Bella glared at her friend. Rose waved her away, "Not yours, Geez. I was talking about one of our waiters. The one who was built."

Alice nodded absentmindedly as she continued to flit about the room organizing unnecessarily. "He'd do well for you. As long as no one touches Jasper, I'm cool."

Bella shook her head. There was no way that they would all end up dating str-'exotic dancers'. That was just far too bizarre. "So what's the plan for tonight?"

Alice smiled, finally giving Bella her full attention. "Well first we're going to put dinner on the table, which I'm glad to see that you've already prepared." She nodded her approval toward the pot on the stove. "And then you are going to explain everything to us. I don't care how much it hurts. You need to tell us everything."

Bella tried to swallow her nerves, but there was nothing she could do. She didn't want to revisit this story. It hurt more than they could understand. And yet she knew that she didn't have a choice.

After following Alice's orders and feeding Jacob his food, a convenient and necessary way to stall, Bella turned toward her friends and mentally prepared herself for telling them about her previous life. About the girl that they never knew.

Rose looked at her expectantly as Alice bounced in her seat. Neither of them had touched the food in front of them as their excitement for the story had been first and foremost in their mind. Bella chewed on her lip, "I don't know where to begin."

"How about how you truly met," Rose said, before finally taking a bite from her plate. "Since we now obviously know that you knew him before last night."

Bella nodded and glanced down at her plate. She wasn't hungry. She didn't know if she'd ever be hungry again. After this had all happened, she hadn't really eaten for months. "My parents are divorced, which you know. My mother took me with her around the country until I was sixteen, when she finally settled down and got married."

Rosalie snorted, "Marrying a professional baseball player can never be considered settling down, but continue."

Bella couldn't help but smile at her friend. "I moved in with my father so that the newlyweds could have some time alone. And that's when I met Edward." Bella chewed on her bottom lip and looked down at her hands as she tangled her fingers together. "It wasn't love at first sight, not really. We were definitely attracted to each other, but we couldn't stand the other. I thought that he was a pretentious prick, and he thought that I was a stuck up bitch."

Jacob whimpered and Bella turned to him immediately. "I'm sorry, baby. Mommy said a bad word."

"He doesn't understand, Bella," Alice said in exasperation. She loved Jacob more than life, but she didn't want Bella to stop telling the story when she'd barely begun. "He just wants to be held. Hold him in your arms while you finish the story."

Bella took her advice, making sure that her son was comfortable before continuing. "Edward and I were assigned a project that we had to work on together, the one where you have to cart around that baby that cries in the middle of the night and everything. It started out as a disaster. We couldn't work together for anything. All of our ideas clashed, and we nearly destroyed the baby."

Bella giggled, and her friends sat in quiet awe of the woman sitting in front of them. They had never heard her giggle before. "That's when everything fell through. I was a mess because I thought that I was going to fail, and he felt so bad that he actually started to comfort me. When nothing else worked, he got down on his knees in front of me, took my face in his hands, and kissed me." Bella's bottom lip slipped between her teeth. "That was it. There was this strange spark between us. We were inseparable after that."

"We were together for like a year and a half. And in high school, that's it. If you're together more than a few months, you're getting married. Especially in a small town like Forks." Bella bounced her knee, making Jacob giggle in her lap. "And if Edward hadn't…" Bella trailed off as she buried her face in the tuft of hair on her son's head. Tears slowly dampened his hair and her friends waited for her to raise her head again.

Bella's cell phone chirped next to her. She immediately reached for it and answered it, praying that it would be him. She needed to hear his voice. She needed to know that, even though she was reliving the worst of their history, he was still there, and he wanted to make a brighter future. Because that was the only thing that would make all of this worth it. That was the only thing that would make telling this tale possible.

"Hello," her voice broke slightly.

"Bella," Edward's joyous moment of finally being able to convince himself to call the woman that he loved was immediately squashed by the sound of her distraught voice. "Bella, sweatheart, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"

A sound escaped Bella's lips that scared everyone in the room, including Edward on the other end of the line. Bella wasn't even sure if it was a relieved sigh, a choked sob, or an insane chuckle. It was probably a combination of all of them. She sniffled and tried to compose herself enough to speak on the phone. "Alice and Rose are dragging the story out of me." She didn't mean to tell him the truth, but it's what came.

Edward groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Maybe this wasn't the best time for me to call."

"NO!" Bella nearly jumped from her chair as if she could prevent him from doing anything that would disconnect them in any way. "No, Edward, you called at the perfect time." She lowered head to Jacob's again and whispered where she thought no one could hear it. "I needed to hear your voice."

The girls didn't hear it, but Edward did. His heart leapt. "I wanted to call to ask you about possibly going out this coming Tuesday. But now, I just wanna make sure that you're okay."

Bella smiled slightly, "I'm okay. I had to tell someone eventually."

Edward wanted to tell her that she didn't have to tell anyone. He wanted to tell her that if she wanted him to, he'd be there in a minute, and she wouldn't have to deal with it alone. She shouldn't have to deal with it alone. But he didn't, because he didn't have to right to comfort her, yet. But he was going to earn it. He had to earn it back.

"So," Bella sat up and wiped away her tears, even though fresh ones would form. "Tuesday? Why such an odd day?"

"Well," Edward smiled as he realized that Bella was a much stronger woman than the girl who he'd first kissed over almost failing an assignment. He hated what had made her so much stronger, and hated even more that he was part of that, but he was so proud of the woman that she had become. "Tuesday nights are the only nights that I'm not working or training at the club."

Bella sighed, Tuesday was only four days away. She silently told the ache in her chest that four days wasn't nearly as bad as the six years that went before. "I think that would be a great idea. What do you have in mind?"

"Oh, you know," Edward wished that he was in the same room as her, because the teasing tone in her voice made him want to see her eyes, to see if they sparkled like they did when they were in high school. "I was thinking just a normal dinner and movie. Kind of a 'get to know you' thing."

"That sounds perfect," Bella said with a true smile. For some reason, all of her hesitancy was gone. She was ready to date him again, to let him try. "What time?"

"Well my last class ends at four fourty five, so maybe I could pick you up at like six and we could eat before catching the nine o'clock."

Bella giggled alerting her friends to her altered mood. "You've thought this through quite a bit, haven't you?"

Edward ran his fingers through his hair, and although Bella couldn't see him, she knew exactly what he was doing. "Would you expect anything less from me?"

"No," Bella said honestly. "It's nice to know that some things will never change."

Edward flinched slightly as he thought about what he'd said to her in their last few months together. 'The only thing that's constant is change.'

"So," Bella could feel the conversation coming to end. And she knew that her friends were growing irritated with her lack of attention to their conversation. "I guess I'll see you at Six on Tuesday, then?"

"Yeah," Edward wasn't ready to let her go, but he knew that he should, if for no other reason than he had to go to the club in less than an hour to meet with the men that Charlotte was looking into hiring. She wanted all of the boys to be a part of the process since they knew what went on during floor hours much better than she did. "I'm going to head into work, but," Edward hesitated, "you have my number now. If you ever want to talk to me, or my machine," Bella snorted, "then don't hesitate to call. Hearing your voice, even if only in a message, will make my day so much better."

Bella smiled and chewed on her bottom lip, "I'll remember that. But, I really need to go now. Rose and Alice will probably rip the phone from my hands if I don't."

Edward chuckled, "Well you might be able to soften up their reaction by telling them that Emmett and Jasper's nights off just happen to coincide with mine and they're interested in seeing them."

"Thanks," Bella said with a smile as Alice finally got up and took the phone from her.

"Hi, Edward," Alice said excitedly. "I'm really glad that you're going to reconnect and all, but you just interrupted the story when it was getting interesting, and that is unacceptable."

"Spoiler alert," Edward said solemnly. "It has a sad ending."

"Nope," Alice said confidently. "Just a conflict that the main characters must overcome. Now, if you don't mind, I want to hear what she has to tell me."

"Alice?" Edward chuckled as he suddenly realized who he was talking to.

"That's me," she said with a smile.

"Jasper says hi," Edward said right before hanging up.

Alice handed Bella back the phone and bounced back into her seat. "Now you may continue."

Bella just shook her head and picked up where she had left off. After a normal, non lust filled conversation with Edward, she was finally able to get through their story.


	8. Going Rosalie

Saturday evening found Rosalie and Alice at the club again. This time, they arrived early, before the rest of the crowd, and before it opened. To be specific, Saturday evening found them in the employee parking lot, where they waited for one of the men who was now impacting their lives.

The first to show up was Emmett. When he saw Rosalie leaning up against the building, he was falling all over himself to get to her. "What are you doing here, legs?" he asked trying to sound smooth.

Alice snorted and Rose rolled her eyes. "One," she said raising one perfectly manicured finger in his face. "If you expect to get anywhere with me, you will call me Rose or Rosalie. We might develop pet names if you last long enough. And two," she lifted another finger, "we're here to see your boy, Edward."

Emmett's shoulders slumped and he pouted playfully, "I was hopin' that you'd come for me."

"If you play your cards right," Rose said with a smirk, "I might stick around for you."

Jasper was the second to pull up, and it didn't take him more than a few seconds to realize what the girls were here for. "He'll be here in few minutes, Alice. But go easy on him. He's all over himself thinking that she's gonna change her mind at any moment."

Rose looked back and forth between Alice and Jasper who seemed to be have a silent conversation. "Okay, now that was just strange."

"No joke," Emmett said as he unlocked the backdoor. "I never thought I'd see the day where I saw the perfect match for Jasper."

"Jasper?" Rosalie said with a laugh. "Have you met Alice? She takes one look at the men who come into our lives and walks away. This is the first time she's stuck around this long."

"I always told you I'd know," Alice said as she plopped down in Jasper's makeup chair. "Why waste your time on a bunch of schmucks when you can go right for the winner."

"Dude," Emmett plopped down in his own chair, eyes wide. "Doesn't this scare you at all?"

Jasper shrugged, "We make a pretty good team, and honestly, she has a point."

"Yeah, because you're such a winner," Edward said as he slung his duffel onto the counter in front of the mirror. "Are you two planning on staying in here the entire time that we change?"

Alice crossed her arms under her chest, "That all depends on you."

Edward pushed his sunglasses down his nose slightly to look over at the slightly demented pixie. "Alice, can't you just play with Jasper and leave me be? I just spent the whole day thinking about how I should have asked Bella to do something with me today rather than waiting until Tuesday night. I'm not particularly in the most receptive mood tonight."

"She's actually why we're here," Rose said as leaned against the counter next to Alice. "You know that she told us the story last night. So you know that we know what you did."

"Baby," Emmett started up, but the look she sent him had him shrinking back. "Rose, you're talking in circles."

She nodded, "Fair enough." She looked back at Edward. "We know that you are the reason that she ended up marrying that bastard, James. So we're here to make sure that you don't send her into another depression. She's not really worried about herself. The only person she worries about anymore is her son. So when she's thinking about being with you again, she's not asking herself if you will break her heart again, because she's already decided that she would rather have you break her heart again than not be with you at all."

Edward's fist came down on the counter, causing everyone in the room to become quiet. "I know that I screwed up. I know that I'm going to have to earn her trust back, but I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't come in here making me feel worse about it."

Jasper and Emmett looked at their friend in pity, but they already knew better than to step in. Rosalie cleared her throat, "As I was saying, Bella isn't asking herself that. All she's thinking about is whether or not you will be a good, _permanent_ influence on her son. And we're here to pre-screen, because no more damage needs to be done to our little family."

Edward looked up and the girls could see the tears working their way down his cheeks. Alice gasped, her pre-screen complete, but Rose was nowhere near done. "Your mistake brought her to us, and Alice and I love her dearly. If you have any uncertainties about this, you need to get out now, because I will not be this nice if you hurt her again."

"I LOVE HER!" Edward yelled. "Goddamnit," he ran his hands through his hair and pulled at the ends. "She is it for me. I knew that in high school and I know that now. Since the first time I kissed her, I knew that I would never feel for anyone else what I felt for her. I haven't so much as _kissed_ another woman since the moment that Bella entered my life. You can ask either of them," Edward made a broad sweep of the room indicating Jasper and Emmett. "I haven't dated anyone, taken money for any 'special favors' that are sometimes offered around here, or even looked at another woman as more than a customer in the past five years that I've been here."

"Good," Rose said as she pushed herself off of the counter. "You don't necessarily have my approval, but you have my permission to continue. I will be watching you, though. And if you screw up, you will no longer have any use of," she pointed toward his crotch, "that."

"Whatever," Edward began to pull things out of his duffel. "I've never used it before, and I never intended to do so with anyone besides my wife, and I won't have a wife besides Bella. So if you feel that I have screwed up badly enough that you won't 'let' me see Bella anymore, than you might as well take it, because it's not worth anything to me without her."

Edward's chest rose and fell in a quick pace as he tried to calm himself. Rose looked a little dumbfounded as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. "Now that you've thoroughly ridiculed me, I don't think there's anything else to say. I'm going to go change into my first costume, and if you wouldn't mind, I would like it to be quiet when I get back out to do my makeup."

Once the door was closed behind him, Rose slumped against the counter again, showing the first signs of remorse. "Uh-oh."

"No shit, Rose." Alice stood up and handed Rosalie her cell phone. "You've got some serious damage control to do."

Rose nodded, she'd screwed up, and she was going to have to fix it. Strapping her big girl panties on, she dialed the number. Bella picked up quickly, "Hey, Alice. What are you guys up to? I thought we were doing dinner again tonight."

"Actually, Bella," Rose said hesitantly. "It's me."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Then, "Rose, what did you do?"

* * *

Bella found herself grumbling all the way to the club. Of course Rose would do something like this. It shouldn't have shocked her at all. She'd dropped her story in their laps, and they were going to try to defend her. But did she have to go all Rosalie on him?

Answer: Yes

Jacob giggled from the backseat and Bella checked her rear view mirror. "Just a few more minutes baby. I have to go fix what your aunts screwed up."

When she finally got to the employees parking lot, she saw Alice and Rose sitting on the hood of Rose's BMW, Jasper and Emmett standing close by, looking uncomfortable. She got out, "What are you guys doing outside? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

Rosalie shook her head, "My fault. We'll watch Jacob, but you need to get inside quick. I think I really upset him."

"Think?" Alice threw her hands up in the air. "Think? You want to think now? What about when he told you that he wasn't really wasn't in a social mood. Then would have been the time to think."

"Look," Rose turned toward Alice. "Maybe it wasn't the best time to say those things, but I don't regret saying them. I meant them, and he needed to hear them."

Jasper took Alice's hand, "It's better that all this stuff is out here now rather than later. At least now, he has time to forgive her."

"I don't care if he ever forgives me," Rosalie said before turning to Bella. "All I care about is that you forgive me. What I said I meant," she said again. "You are very important to me, and I want you to be happy. I know that he has the power to make you happy, but I also know that he has the power to make you more miserable than James ever did. Please remember that I did this because I love you."

Bella nodded her head, but didn't respond to what Rose had said in any other way. She would have to see what kind of condition they left Edward in before she could determine how she felt. She handed Jacob over to Rose, because even if she was mad at her, she was the best of the group to leave her child with. And then she walked toward the club.

When Bella opened the door to the dressing room, what she saw made her heart melt. Edward hadn't bothered to mess with any of his cosmetics yet. Instead he was sitting at the mirror, looking at the bottom half of the black and white photo booth pictures that Bella had hidden in her book. She leaned against the wall, "I always wondered what you did with those."

Edward looked up in shock, "I didn't hear you come in."

She smiled, "I didn't want to disturb you. Since you'd banished everyone else, I figured you wanted to mope in silence."

"I wasn't moping," Edward said quietly as he looked back down at the picture.

"No," Bella agreed. "My best guess would be that you were actually fuming." She slowly made her way across the small room. "Rose can come on kind of strong."

"But she was right," Edward placed the picture down on the counter and reached out for the real version of the woman in the picture he'd been looking at. "I don't deserve a second chance from you."

"Maybe," Bella admitted as she slid into his lap. "But that would be for me to decide, don't you think?"

Edward laid his head on Bella's shoulder and took a few deep breaths. "I didn't mean to yell at her. I just didn't know how to respond when she started to accuse me of only trying to get into your pants."

Bella pushed him back so that she could look into his eyes, "Please tell me she didn't say something like that."

"Not exactly," Edward admitted. "But I don't doubt that's what she was saying."

Bella snorted, "If I remember correctly, you were the one who placed us in chastity belts in high school."

"The first time I made love to you, I wanted it to be as my wife," Edward said simply.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Bella pulled Edward's face closer to his, "And how do you feel about the idea now."

Edward picked up the little velvet box that Bella couldn't look at, "How about you marry me and find out?"

Bella scrunched her nose in what Edward found to be the most adorable way and shook her head. "Nice try, buddy. But you're going to have to work harder than that."

Edward shrugged, "It was worth a try." He placed the box back down and wrapped both of his arms around her. "You know I'm not going to give up, right? I'm going to keep asking until you say yes."

Bella leaned in a placed a light kiss on his lips, "I'm counting on it."

After a few more minutes of quiet conversation, Bella knew that she'd calmed Edward enough so that he could work with the others, and maybe even deal with Rosalie, though she wasn't ready to take that chance. She got up from Edward's lap reluctantly and moved toward the door.

"Hey, Bella?" Edward called to her and she turned to see him looking at the picture strip again. "What did you do with your half?"

She smiled, "I used it as a bookmark in the book that you gave me for our one year anniversary."

"Do you still have it?" Edward didn't know why, but he felt like his life resided on the answer to this question.

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "I just couldn't get rid of it. No matter how much I wanted to, something always stopped me from getting rid of the things that reminded me of you."

"The pictures too?" Edward grasped at the possibility that Bella had held onto the things that held memories for them, because he never wanted to be far from her heart. And if the only way that he could have been a part of her life for the past six years was that she placed his things in the same place that she dwelled, it was more than enough, more than he deserved, and yet not as much as he wanted. Because what he wanted, he could never have. What he wanted was the same that every man wanted. He wanted a time machine to go back and fix the biggest mistake of his life.

"No more moping, Edward." Bella said forcefully. "I have to go, and I don't want to think about you forgetting what you're supposed to do on stage and hurting yourself. Get happy." She pointed her finger as if she were admonishing him. Then she smiled. "Yes, the pictures too. I actually came across them right before I came here earlier this week."

Edward's chest relaxed and he couldn't help but smile. "Thank you for coming, Bella. I feel really stupid for not asking to see you today."

"You should be thanking Rose," Bella said, hoping to soothe some of resentment that she knew Edward would feel for Rosalie. "She said she was dialing my number as soon as you were out of the room." Bella leaned against the wall, wanting to back on Edward's side of the room, but knowing that she needed to get back outside to her son, and that wasn't going to happen if she let herself spend any more time in Edward's lap. "Rose feels really bad. You don't need to forgive her now, but she is a big part of my life. And, even if you don't like her, that isn't going to change."

"It's not exactly that I don't like her," Edward hedged. Bella crossed her arms over her chest and Edward chuckled, "I like that she's so protective of you. You need a friend who doesn't take any bullshit."

Bella smiled, "You've nailed Rose on the head."

"I guess I have to earn her trust as much as yours." Edward said

Her smile grew, "Her trust will be harder to gain."

Edward chuckled, "Thanks for the warning."

Bella put her hand on the door,knowing that she needed to get out before she stayed forever. "Be good. Don't give your friends too much trouble, and I'll see you on Tuesday night."

Edward reached out his hand, hoping to tempt her back into his arms, but she shook her head. "I have to go. I left Rose with my son, and he's going to be fussy soon, because it's almost supper time for him."

Nodding, Edward dropped his hand. "I'll pick you up at six sharp." His lips formed the most adorable pout, and Bella had to practically glue her feet to the floor so she wouldn't find herself back in his lap. "Please don't stand me up, Bells. I'm not sure my heart can take it."

Bella shook her head, "I'll see you on Tuesday, Edward." She finally forced herself to leave. Closing the door behind her was hard, and turning from it back to the parking lot was even harder. For just a few moments, her heart had been full again. The hole in her chest had been missing. It was incredible.

As she walked back toward the cars and her friends, Bella reflected on the brief moments that she and Edward had just shared. They had fallen easily into their former banter. There had still been the sexual attraction, as there had always and would always be, but the lust was controllable. Instead, she was able to look past the 'exotic dancer' and all the things that he had become in the past six years, and see the high school boy that she'd fallen in love with, the one she still loved, the one she suspected that he still was under all that makeup.

"Bella," Emmett said excitedly as soon as he saw her. "Did you put our Eddie boy in a better mood."

Bella snorted and shook her head, "I'm not sure I'd suggest you'd call him that to his face if you want him to remain in a good mood."

"Honestly," Jasper looked up at the sky. The sun had made its way to the horizon and was splashing beautiful colors above them. "Edward's going to be in a slightly sour mood whether Emmett calls him that or not."

Bella's brow furrowed. She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb toward the club, "He was smiling and laughing when I left."

"That's just it, though Belly," Emmett said as he slung his arm around Bella's shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at the nickname but he continued, "You left. When you're not there, Edward's a complete bear. He's one of my best friends, but he's no fun to be around. At least not when you're not with him."

"I don't think I've seen a real smile on the man's face since he started working here." Jasper rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He has his smile for the customers. Then a few nights ago, when we found the picture of you in his wallet, and he told us about you," Jasper shook his head. "Lord, who knew he had a personality under there."


	9. Get Angry

Sorry it's taken me so long guys. Life sadly gets in the way sometimes. But I'm back and I'm workin hard on this story.

* * *

Rosalie looked at her friend over the menu. She wanted to say something, but she was afraid that Bella would be upset with her. She had screwed up. She'd gone too far, and she could have cost Bella the one chance she had to be happy. Because Rosalie could no longer deny that Bella and Edward were perfect for each other.

She had watched Bella with that jackass James, and she'd known then that she was with the wrong man. James would have never stood up for the way that he felt about Bella the way that Edward had today. What had shocked her the most about Edward's outburst was his claim to celibacy.

"Bella?" Rose finally spoke up, wanting to know the answer to the internal questions that she had about some of the finer points of Edward.

Bella didn't look up from her menu, "What's up Rose?"

Rose bit her lip nervously. Alice's jaw dropped as she watched her friend. This was not the Rosalie that she knew. The Rose that she'd spent half her life with was the most strong, confident independent woman that she'd ever met. And here she was, scared of the meek little woman across from her. "Rose, just spit it out. You're killing me over here."

Bella's head shot up from the menu. "What is up with you two?" She reached over to put Jacob's toy back on the high chair that he'd just dropped to the ground. "You've both been ridiculously quiet since the moment that we got here."

"I'm sorry," Rose finally blurted out.

Bella quirked one eyebrow and waited for Rose to continue, because she knew that she wasn't done.

Sighing, Rosalie went on. "I'm still not apologizing for what I said, because I meant it. And I would say it again. He deserved to hear it."

Alice cleared her throat and Rose glared at her. "Anyway, I wanted to apologize because I didn't have a right to bust my way in and screw with your life."

"Thank you, Rose," Bella said. She reached across the table. "And I know that you did it because you care about me. And whether Edward ever admits it or not, he likes you because of the way that you stood up for me. He's just stubborn."

Rose crossed her arms under her chest, causing every male head in the restaurant to turn toward their table. "I don't want him to like me. I want him to fear me. He should be scared that I'm going to chop off his balls, not be glad that I stood up for you."

Bella shook her head and Alice leaned forward. "Speaking of which, Edward said something that caught my interest."

Cocking her head to the side, Bella silently gestured for Alice to continue. "Well, Edward made it out to seem like he's a virgin. He said that he'd only wanted to make love to his wife, and you were who he'd intended to be his wife. I don't know whether to believe that or not."

"I do," Bella said looking down into her lap. When the others were quiet for too long, Bella glanced up. "Well, he wanted to wait until we were married when we were in high school. I mean, he showed me the ring that he intended to propose with after graduation, twice now actually. If he's really been holding onto it, maybe he hasn't done it with any other woman."

"That's hard to believe," Rose said. When Bella gave her an exasperated look, she raised her hands defensively, "Not that he would hold out for you, because honestly," she gestured to her friend, "anyone who wouldn't is an idiot." She shook her head. "What I meant is that it's strange that a man who can move like that has never been sexually involved with someone."

"Oh, yeah," Alice waved her hand in front of her face like she was burning up. "I'd like to see Jasper in bed with some of those moves."

Bella snorted, "I'm still not sure how I feel about you and Jasper teaming up the way you did." She shivered, "It's kind of creepy."

"No," Alice shook her head a grabbed a roll from the center of the table. "He's the one."

"I don't know about 'the one'," Rose said thoughtfully, "but Emmett definitely has his possibilities."

"This is just too weird." Bella reached for a bottle in the her baby bag as Jacob began to whimper. "How can we all be interested in," Bella hesitated as she tried to think of the best way to come at the situation, "exotic dancers."

"You can just call them what they are," Rose said as she finally succumbed and grabbed a roll from the center of the table. "Fuck hot strippers."

"Language, Rose," Bella said sternly. She gestured around them, "We aren't at the club anymore."

"Yeah," Rose said biting viciously down on the roll that she'd just thoroughly buttered. If Bella didn't love her so much, she would hate her for her ability to eat absolutely anything without getting fat. "We got kicked out."

"Your fault," Alice said simply. "You should have found a more convenient time to spout off your mouth."

"Or been nicer to Emmett," Bella said as she began to feed Jacob. She was getting used to the fact that Jacob no longer needed to get his nourishment directly from her. It hurt a little, just a reminder that one day he would leave her as well. "I mean, Rose, you can only be mean to the guy for so long before he finally gives up."

"I'm not mean," Rose said slowly. "I'm just…"

"Dominating," Alice giggled.

And they were all in hysterics. Although Rose did have a very 'I'm in charge' attitude, it was still hard to imagine her standing over a very burley Emmett, leather whip in hand. It was just too much for them to take.

"I just don't want him to think that I'm like every other girl," Rose said honestly. "When they start calling you things like 'beautiful' and 'baby', how do you know that they're not just calling you those things because they can't remember your name. How do you know that they're not calling you those things because they're afraid that if they don't use pet names, they'll say another girl's name? You know, the other one that they're seeing."

Alice and Bella reached out at the same time and grabbed Rose's trembling hands. "Rose, honey," Alice rubbed a soothing circles into her friend's hand. "Not ever man is going to be like Royce."

"And not all friends are going to be like Vera," Bella added quietly. "We love you, and I can tell you right now that, even though Emmett has only known you for a few days, he worships you."

"If you're ready for a real relationship," Alice warmed her friend's hand between both of hers, "then I can tell you that Emmett would do anything for the chance that you might look in his direction."

Rose, hating feeling weak, even in front of her best friends, nodded, forcing a smile. "Well, I suppose I can give him a chance."

"You should," Alice said as she returned to her menu. "We're going to be spending a lot of time with those two, making sure that Edward doesn't screw up again."

Bella shook her head and smiled as she burped Jacob. "I love you guys, but you gotta let me have my own love life."

"Psh," Rose waved her friend off. "Don't you know that we share everything?" Alice kicked her under the table and Rose smiled, "Okay, not everything."

"But we do share details," Alice said bouncing happily in her chair. "And there are gonna be details. They won't be happy with just missionary."

"Sorry," Bella shook her head as she placed Jacob on her shoulder to burp him. "I think Edward is still holding out until I agree to marry him. So there won't be any juicy details on my end."

"Gah," Rose crossed her arms over her chest and slumped back into her seat. "After all he's put you through, the least he could do is give you a decent fuck."

"ROSALIE!" Alice and Bella both looked apologetically at the tables that surrounded them.

"I know, I know," she held her hands up. "I'm trying. It's just been a while since we've gone anywhere family oriented."

"Well the point's moot anyway." Satisfied at hearing the air escape Jacob's lungs, Bella placed her son back into his carrier, knowing that he would be out soon. "That's not what I want."

Rose snorted and Bella smirked, "Okay, I do want that, but it's not the first thing on my mind. Is it really so bad that I want to be romanced? That I want to feel like I'm wanted and loved for the first time since high school."

"No," Rose shook her head and had the dignity to lower her voice and lean forward this time. "I just can't imagine you not wanting to jump into bed with the first guy who shows an inkling of potential after James. I mean, darling, that guy couldn't have had any skill at all."

Bella shrugged, "I wanted a family, and he gave me Jacob. I can't really regret that."

"So in other words," Alice said, hoping to finally get her friend to admit what they had all suspected. "He was lacking."

Chewing on her lip, Bella nodded, and Rose sighed. "Thank God. I thought you were never going to admit that. Babe, I know that he's the father of your son and everything, but you don't need to protect him. He did you wrong, and you have every right to bash him.

Alice nodded her head excitedly, "Not just bash him, trash him. You have the right to spill every one of his dirty secrets."

"Like what?" Bella knew that she shouldn't, but she'd been nice for far too long. When her friends had been saying terrible things about her ex-husband, all she'd done was sit quietly, and sometimes even defend him. She needed to truly vent.

"Anything," Rose said with a smirk. "Nasty habits, dirty laundry, business deals. Anything you know is fair game now."

"And the way he treated you," Alice said scooting her chair around the table so that she was closer to her friend. "I think that it's time you got everything off your chest, honey. If you're going to have a good relationship with Edward, you need to get rid of all the resentment that you still feel for that other prick."

Bella nodded, letting out a shaky breath. They were right. She needed to get all of it off her chest. "Well, the only reason that we moved out here was because James was fired from the last firm that he worked at. One of the men that he was competing with for partner said that he caught James with his wife on his desk." She shook her head. "I believed him when he told me that it was just a cheap shot to prevent him from getting partner, but now I'm not so sure."

"You never told us that," Alice rubbed Bella's arm soothingly.

Bella shrugged, "I didn't believe that he'd really done it, and I didn't want any rumors starting about us. So I just kind of let left the past with the firm."

"Dirty details, Bells," Rose said not wanting her friend to think about how many times before and how many women James might have cheated on her with. "I want the everyday little things that James did that drove you absolutely crazy."

Blinking away some of the tears, Bella sneered slightly. She felt like she'd been played. "He never did the dishes. In fact, he would leave them on the table like I was his bloody maid. Laundry was left on the floor. If it ever even made it to the laundry room, he wanted something. Usually a special treat, if you know what I mean."

The girls nodded before they were interrupted by their waiter. He quickly took their orders, realizing that he wouldn't be received well if he stuck around for long.

"What else?" Alice was nearly falling out of her chair. This was the first time that Bella had soberly bitched about her marriage, and she didn't want her to stop, not when it had taken half a year to get here.

"First thing every morning, he'd roll me over, get what he wanted and then shower. It usually took him only a minute, and he never bothered try to actually get me off. That was something special that he only left for nights when he wasn't 'tired' or 'special occasions' like my birthday, if he remembered. Those days grew fewer and farther between with each month that we were married. But he never gave up on his morning ritual. Instead he just left me to clean up after him when he left."

"God," Bella threw her head back, "I will not miss cleaning up after that man. It took me two months of bleaching down the floors to feel like I'd finally gotten rid of him. His greasy hair, his dirty toenails, the smell of his farts. It was all still there, and I had to get rid of it."

"Jeez, Bells," Rose looked like she was going to gag. "How did you live with him? No man is coming into my home and screwing around like that."

"Well if you stick with Emmett, I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Alice grinned, "Those boys are just as well groomed as you are. You won't ever have to worry about a thing."

"When you love someone," Bella tried to defend herself, "you learn to deal with their flaws."

"But you didn't love him, Bella." Rose grabbed her friend's hand. "You tolerated him, and you're a saint for doing so."

"I," Bella started but her friends glared at her. "Alright, I didn't love him. I didn't love him at all. Every morning I woke up and prayed that it had all been a dream, that I hadn't married the first guy who'd taken an interest in me after Edward."

"Bella," Alice gasped. "Please tell me that's not what you did."

Bella glanced down at Jacob, "Not exactly. When I met him, he treated me well. He made me feel special, loved, wanted."

Alice felt relieved. For a moment she was worried that her friend's relationship with her husband was more messed up than she'd realized. If she'd married James just because he was the first man to take interest in her, he might have been more than just mentally abusive, and they would have never known it. They knew that James ha messed Bella up, but as far as they knew, he hadn't laid a hand on her. And if they ever found out that he had, Rose wouldn't get the chance to kill him, because Alice would do it first. That was one thing that she could not accept in a man.

"Ugh," Bella smacked her hand down on the table, startling Jacob from his near sleep. He whimpered and Bella picked him up, rocking him gently back to sleep. "The thing that got on my nerves the most, like worse than anything else he could have possibly done. Worse than the cheating. Worse than treating me like his little maid that was meant to cater to his every whim. Even worse than the fact that he made me give up my dream so that I could be a home maker for him. I hate that he doesn't want anything to do with his son. I hate that even when I was pregnant with Jacob, he didn't do any of the cutsie things that fathers are supposed to do. You know, talk to the baby, feel my tummy for when it kicks. Nothing. He didn't come with me to my doctor's appointments. He wasn't even there when my water broke."

Rose exhaled in relief. Bella was finally getting angry. She'd been in shock since the night that she'd told them and she hadn't moved past that point. But now she was angry. She was truly grieving, truly getting ready to move on from that heartless bastard. "He doesn't deserve his son 'Mama Bear'." Rose whispered her nickname for her friend. "Jacob is not James's son. Jacob is your son. James will never play a role in Jacob's life because we won't let him. If you want, you never have to tell Jacob who his real father is. You can lie and say that you don't know who his father is, and no one will ever tell him any different. We won't, I know your parents won't."

"Or," Alice said more hopefully, "You can raise him with a different man. A man who will truly care for him."

"I want to," Bella looked down into Jacob's face. "I don't want him to grow up without a father. I grew up without a father, and it sucked. I don't want that for Jacob. I want him to have two loving parents."

"Well, for now," Rosalie reached over and petted the dark tufts of hair on the top of Jacob's head. "He has one overly protective mother and two adoring aunts. And we all love him so very much."

Bella smiled over at Rose, "You're right. And for now, that's enough."

The waiter came back and placed down the orders, cramping them together as the three women refused to move back to their original seating. Noticing that they were more friendly, he stuck around for a few minutes longer, trying to catch the attention of one of the three beautiful women. He honestly didn't care which one. They were all wet dream inducing. He'd even go after the mom. He didn't care if there was a husband. If she was willing to give him the time of day, he would jump at the chance.

But again, he was sent away without so much as a sideways glance.

"So," Alice said as she stuffed a noodle in her mouth. "What is your plan with Edward?"


	10. Nervous

Edward sat in his car looking up at Bella's house nervously. He was still ten minutes early, and he was getting up the nerve to get out of the car. He didn't understand why he was so nervous now. Now was not the time to be nervous. Now was the time to get out of the car and get the woman that he loved.

Slowly, Edward opened the door and made his way toward the steps. He didn't like them on first seeing them. They were brick, and he could all too easily see Bella tripping and ending up in the hospital. Worse, what if she had her baby in her arms when it happened? Edward couldn't imagine how much it would kill Bella if her son was hurt while in her arms.

Shaking off that thought, Edward rang the doorbell. He heard some shuffling and the sound of a whimpering baby, and then the door opened for him to see a very disheveled Bella, baby on her hip. She looked up at him and her eyes got huge. "I didn't forget, I swear. Jacob's just being fussy."

Edward smiled as he looked down at the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen. Even though she was obviously tired and a little frazzled, Bella had taken to motherhood beautifully. The little boy she carried, clung to her with all his might. And she was clinging to him right back, like he was the answer to every question in her life.

"There's no worry sweetheart." He said as he stepped into the hallway so she could close the door. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

Bella blew her too long bangs out of her eyes. It had been a really long time since she'd done anything for herself like get her hair cut. It was definitely something that she would have to take care of if she was going to look for a job. No one would hire her if she looked like she didn't take care of herself. "There's not really anything you can do. Just make yourself comfortable."

Edward wanted to protest because he wanted to help. But he knew that she was right. He didn't know anything about babies, especially not her baby. But he couldn't stay away from her. It was killing him that she was down the hall, in the same house, but still so far away. So he followed her to the nursery.

She looked up, still frazzled, but smirked and shook her head, accepting that he was going to be there and resumed attending her son. "What are we doing tonight?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "I thought we'd go traditional. Dinner and a movie." He ran his fingers along the soft fabric of a blanket hanging from the back of the rocking chair. "It's not the same as the diner and the little theater in Forks, but I thought it would give us a good opportunity to get to know each other again."

Bella nodded as she snapped together the bottom of Jacob's little blue outfit. Smiling down at her finally happy infant, Bella began to clean up the nursery.

Jacob giggled and Edward watched as the most beautiful smile he'd seen since that day on the football field spread across Bella's face. His heart fluttered as he watched her pick up the little boy, raising him above her head, and blowing raspberries on his stomach. She was an incredible mother.

She turned her smile and him and he felt like he might lose his balance. "Just give me a few minutes. Now that he's taken care of, I'm going to run over and make sure that he's settled in with Angela, and then I'm gonna change so we can go."

"You look beautiful just like this," Edward said, taking a tentative step forward.

Bella rolled her eyes, "I look a mess and we both know it." She brushed past him, but he followed, not wanting her out of his sight if he could avoid it.

So they both made the short trip to Angela's house. Angela's husband, Ben, opened the door, and he wasn't sure what to make of the scene in front of him. He barely knew Bella, but his wife adored her, so that made her important to him. After that jackass of a husband she'd divorced had finally left, he hadn't thought that she would be able to date for at least a few years. But somehow, this man had convinced her otherwise.

"Bella," Ben tried to smile at her, but it came through as more of a grimace. "Why don't you take Jacob up to our bedroom? Angela is setting the pillows on the bed."

Rolling her eyes, Bella made her way up the stairs. Angela always made a makeshift cradle on the bed out of pillows for Jacob. It was kind of cute, but it was also unnecessary. Jacob would rather be held than surrounded by soft pillows. And Angela knew that. She just always made the little bed just in case.

Of course that left Ben with Edward, because Ben had stepped in front of Edward before he could follow her. "I don't know who you are," Ben started, trying not to sound intimidated. "And I don't know how you convinced Bella to give you a chance. But she is the closest thing my wife has to a sister, and if you hurt her, you will have to answer to me."

Edward nodded, "My name is Edward Cullen," he said formally. "Bella and I dated in high school. I have always loved her, and you have my permission to do whatever you wish with me if I do anything to hurt Bella. That is," Edward qualified, trying to lighten the mood, "if you can beat Rosalie to it."

Ben nodded, still not sure how he felt about his Edward. He'd have to talk to Angela.

* * *

"Angela, I am so scared," Bella confided in her friend as they fussed over the baby in her arms. "It's so hard to not want him. What if he decides to leave me for my own good again? I can't afford to go through that again. It would kill me."

"But what if he doesn't?" Angela reasoned. "What if he's learned from his mistakes? What if he's the man that you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with?"

"What if he doesn't like Jacob?" Bella asked quietly, kissing her son's head. "I just don't think I can handle that."

"What if he loves Jacob?" Angela countered. "What if he is the best father for your son? You'll never know if you don't give it a try."

Bella nodded, looking away. "I'm just so afraid. My feelings for him haven't changed at all. When I'm with him, I'm that naïve high school girl with her first crush. And I can't afford to be that person."

"You don't have to be that person," Angela reached out and rubbed Bella's arm. "You don't have to make it easy for him, but you need to give him a chance. If nothing else, your heart wants this. You love this man. You can't deny that, because you wouldn't even be considering this if it weren't true."

Bella swallowed, "That's true." She held out Jacob's hands and played with his fingers. "I do, and I'm going to give him a chance, but it still scares me."

"I'd think you were crazy if it didn't," Angela said seriously. "But I want you to know that I think you're making the right choice by going out with him. You deserve the chance at a real life with a man who actually cares about you, a man who loves you."

Smiling, Bella wiped away a few tears. "Thank you, Angela. I know I haven't been the best friend with everything, but you have been really great."

Angela snorted, "You're being ridiculous Bella. Ben and I both love you. You've been through a tough time. And we just want to see you happy." Angela plucked the giggling little boy from Bella's arms, "So now you are going to go get that gorgeous man and have a night out. Nothing will happen with Jacob. You know we'll take care of him."

Bella looked down at her son hesitantly. She didn't want to leave him. She never wanted to leave him, never wanted to be without him. But she needed to do this. Angela was right. She owed it to her heart to determine if Edward was going to stick around.

She looked at the door hesitantly. "I'm surprised he didn't follow me up here. He's been on my heels since I let him in the door."

Angela gasped, "He's in my house, and we're up here. Are you crazy? I want to see him."

"You are making a much bigger deal out of this than you need to." Bella looked toward the door, really wondering what had stopped Edward from following her in. "He's just a guy."

"Yeah, sure," Angela snorted. "He's just a guy. Just a guy made you jump his bones in front of an audience." Bella tried to protest, but Angela pushed forward. "Just a guy made you rethink men as a possibility in your life. Just a guy has you checking the door ever five seconds. Just a guy? I don't think so."

"Okay, okay," Bella nodded. "So he's not just some guy. But I didn't jump his bones. We remained fully," Bella blushed. "Well, mostly clothed."

Angela stood and made her way downstairs, with Bella close behind. She had to see this person. She'd yet to get a description out of Bella about Edward, and she couldn't even begin to imagine what an exotic dancer would look like. And nothing had prepared her for Edward. While she would never even think of leaving Ben, she couldn't deny that Edward might start to appear in a few inappropriate dreams. He had brown hair with red streaks, making it look like a copper penny or a bronze pan, that was mussed just perfectly. He was tall, as compared to her husband who barely came up to her nose. And his tall lean form promised a pleasure that no woman could deny. His face was angled, much sharper than she was would have liked, like maybe he rarely ate, but maybe if he got a few pounds on him it would soften up. His green eyes met hers for only a moment before dropping to Bella.

"Well," Angela stepped closer to her husband, feeling as if she were invading on a private moment as Bella and Edward's gazes connected. "I guess you two should get out of here. It won't be too long, and Bella will be beating our door down to get her son back. I'd suggest you try to get as much time as you can now Edward."

Ben gave his wife a strange look, but wrapped his arm around her waist and reached out to play with Jacob's tiny fingers. He hadn't admitted it to his wife, but he was beginning to fear that he was sterile. The thought had never occurred to him before, but they'd been trying for a little over a year now, and nothing had happened. Angela said that a baby would come when it was time, and they should just enjoy the process until then. And though he did, he couldn't deny the spark he saw in Angela's eyes when she looked down at their neighbor's baby.

Edward smiled and reached out to take Bella's hand, "Are you ready?"

Bella chewed on her bottom lip, glancing at her son before nodding. "Yeah, I'm ready. I just need to change and fix my hair, and then we'll be on our way."

Angela and Ben watched as the couple made their way out, Bella only glancing back four times before they made it to the door. Much less than Angela was used to. Definitely progress.

Ben waited until he heard the click of the door to speak, "I'm not sure I like him."

A breathy chuckle escaped Angela's lips. "I'm sure that he's not that bad. So he made a bad decision. If he hadn't, we may have never met her. And that, is not something I want to think about."

They made their way to the living room, Angela sitting carefully on one side of the couch and Ben on the other, bodies facing each other. "Bella needs a few more years," Ben complained, sounding like a properly disgruntled older brother. "She just got out of a messy marriage. It's not the right time for someone else to step in."

"We don't really have a say in it," Angela said as she looked down at the infant who was looking around for his mother. This was his habit. He would search for her, cry for a little while, and then settle down to sleep. But Bella wasn't going to know this. If she knew, she'd never leave her home, and Jacob would never be properly socialized. "But you should know that Bella loves this man. She may not be willing to admit it to anyone, including herself, but she does, probably always has. So we have to be encouraging."

Ben didn't want to agree. There was so much wrong with what was happening, including his wife's pushing Bella into a new relationship. But he wasn't going to argue with her about it. Angela had a way of knowing what was best for her friends, and he'd learned that he was fighting for no reason. So he simply scooted closer and reached down to tickle Jacob, praying again that God would bless them with a little one of their own.

* * *

"You stay here," Bella pointed sternly at the couch. "It's gonna be a while before I let you follow me into the bedroom."

Edward didn't like having Bella out of his sight, but she'd just alluded to more time together as well as being able to follow her into the bedroom eventually. Which, if she had been truly thinking about it, would have meant marriage, but he wasn't going to assume that her mind had jumped that far. So instead, he plopped himself down on the couch and waited.

"Do you have a reservation time?" Bella called down the hall as she pulled on the dress that she'd already chosen for the occasion.

Edward looked in the direction of her voice, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bella, but all he saw was an empty hallway. "Not exactly. I figured we wouldn't have a hard time getting in because it's a Tuesday. But I did chose a movie time, so we will be a little restricted by that. Of course, it's a romantic comedy, so I'm not totally opposed to missing it if you want to extend dinner."

Bella snorted and leaned out the door so Edward could only see the color of her straps. It was almost Tiffany Blue. God, he had marriage on the brain. "Edward, you were the one who insisted that we go see the movies at the Theatre. I didn't make you see movies like 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'Sabrina' over and over again."

Smiling Edward nodded. "It's not like we really had any other choice. Going to Port Angeles was out because your Dad would have killed me if we were even a moment late for curfew."

Slipping back into her room to quickly brush through her hair, Bella quickly rebuffed. "Charlie trusted you. He was asleep before we came back most of the time. We could have easily gotten away with getting out of town for a few hours."

"You weren't so full of ideas then." Edward chuckled.

"I was a little distracted then," Bella mumbled so that Edward couldn't hear her.

"That option aside," Edward said after a moment of silence. "There wasn't really much else to do. We lived in Forks. Everything started to shut down by 7"

"We could have stayed in," Bella pointed out as she pulled back the front of her hair into a clip. "Your mother was always offering to bake sweets for us and we could have created a nice movie collection."

"Or we could have made sweets." Edward added, thinking of Bella covered in flour as they had a flirty food fight in the kitchen.

"See," Bella said with a smile as she thought of a smudge of chocolate on the corner of Edward's mouth that she would have thoroughly enjoyed licking off. "There were plenty of things that we could have done." Nodding to herself, in the mirror, she slipped on her shoes and stepped out into the hallway. "You were just insistent that we go see whatever was on in the Theatre."

"So I'm sucker for romance," Edward said as he stood up and looked her over. God, he'd missed her so much. She was beautiful. "Can you really blame me?"

Bella blushed as his gaze travelled the length of her body. Nothing and everything about the way that he looked at her was sexual, and it left her utterly speechless.

Edward held his hand out, wanting to take her into his arms, but afraid to scare Bella with how much he wanted her. "Are you ready to go?"

Nodding, Bella closed the distance between them and took his hand. She squeezed his hand tightly before grabbing her jacket and purse and leading him out the door. She locked the door, and glanced toward Ben and Angela's building once before looking toward Edward's car, and giggling. "Edward, remember when you used to make fun of me for how old my truck was?"

Edward shook his head and slowly and began to lead her down what he considered far too treacherous steps for someone like Bella, "I like my Volvo, okay? And it's nowhere near as old as that 'beast' you drove was. At least mine was built while we were in high school. We weren't even single celled organisms when they built yours."

Bella just smiled as she let Edward hold the passenger door open for her. She planned on enjoying tonight.


	11. 1st Date

Edward took Bella's hand across the table. "I want you to tell me everything. I want to know about school, about," he hesitated, "James. And I most definitely want to know about Jacob."

Bella smiled sadly and tried to pull her hand out of his, but he wouldn't let go. "Can't we just enjoy this?" Bella whispered looking down at their connected hands. "I want to enjoy being with you. And thinking about that time in my life, I won't enjoy."

Swallowing thickly, Edward squeezed her hand. "We need to talk about it, and if we do it now, we'll never have to have this conversation again."

Taking a deep breath, Bella nodded. "Well if we're gonna do this, we might as well do it head on. I guess what you really need to know about is James."

Edward's jaw set, but he nodded. He didn't want to know anything about her marriage to another man, but he needed to know.

Bella took a deep breath. "James and I met a coffee shop near my dorm freshman year. At first I didn't like him, like at all. He was cocky. He just didn't believe that there was any way that I could possibly not like him, so he just kept coming onto me. It was awful. At first, I tried coming by the coffee shops at different times, but he always seemed to be there. Then I tried to bring around some of the girls from my floor in hopes that we could form a little study group in the corner. But nothing worked. He always zoned in on me, and just wouldn't leave me alone. Finally, I just told him that if he would shut up, I'd let him sit with me while I drank my coffee and studied. And for some reason, that seemed to work for him."

Bella pulled Edward's hand closer to her, turning his arm up so that she could lightly trace his veins. "For some reason, that seemed to be enough. For almost a month, three days a week, all he did was sit with me. I was shocked. He'd sit, drink a cup of coffee, maybe eat something, and work on his laptop. I never knew what he was working on, because he'd actually graduated the year before, but it was nice. Sitting with him was peaceful, once he stopped talking that is."

Shaking her head, Bella created a heart on Edward's wrist, not really aware what it was that she was doing. "The next time that he asked me out, I said yes. And it just kind of continued that way. Every time he asked me something, when he asked me out, when he asked me to be his girlfriend, when he asked me back to his apartment, I always wanted to say no." Bella's eyes itched, and she looked down at the edge of the table in hopes that Edward wouldn't see.

But he reached out and tilted her face toward his so that he could see the sheen of tears there. "But you did."

She nodded. "I'd always think about how you told me that you wanted me to look and see what else was out there. You wanted me to move on. So I did. I went out with him. I became his girlfriend. I started sleeping with him." Bella's grip on Edward's wrist tightened, her nails digging in slightly. Edward welcomed the sting of it, knowing that the pain wasn't nearly enough. He'd nearly killed the spirit of the beautiful woman in front of him, all because he thought that he was being selfless. He would never be able to forgive himself for what he saw in her eyes now, even if she wouldn't look directly at him. No, he knew that he would always carry that look with him.

"Bella, I am so…"

She shook her head, reaching across the table to press her fingers to his lips. "I don't want to hear your apologies. You wanted to know what happened, and I'm going to tell you. But I can't stand I'm sorry."

Edward nodded, and when Bella was sure that he would let her continue, she moved her hand. "We were together basically my entire college career. It was the closest thing to comfortable that I had. He was always there. There were times when I felt that I meant far less to him than he was telling me, or that I was nothing more than an easy lay to him, but I'd push it away, because he pursued me. He'd wanted me. I was just imagining it."

Stomach clenched painfully, Edward leaned forward slightly, trying to catch Bella's eyes, which were now trained on the crease of his elbow, where his sleeve was rolled up. "I'd like to believe that I would have gotten out of the relationship eventually. When he started talking about getting married at first, I'd blown it off. It hadn't felt right. I didn't want to be married to him, I just wanted to be with someone who wanted to be with me. So we kept putting the conversation off."

Bella took a deep breath. "When I graduated, he proposed. I didn't say no," she said shaking her head. "But I didn't say yes either. I couldn't. It wasn't right. But I couldn't say no. I hadn't said no to him since the coffee shop. After that, everything he did began to irritate me. He hindered all of my chances of getting a job, telling me that I shouldn't be working, that he made enough to support us both. James was convinced that it would be embarrassing to have a wife that worked when we finally got married. Because he knew that there was no way I wouldn't give in eventually. I hadn't ever proven him wrong."

"And then my period stopped coming." Bella finally looked up at Edward, her eyes set. "I don't regret Jacob, but you have to understand something. You and my Gynecologists are the only ones who know about this. Not even James or my mother knows. All James knows is that I said yes and that I wanted our wedding to be quick. He has no idea when Jacob was conceived."

"How.." Edward tried to ask, but just couldn't.

"At the time I thought that he was just happy about the fact that his line was going to continue, that I was doing what I wanted to him to do." Bella shrugged. "Now I know it's just because he wasn't really paying attention to me."

Taking a deep breath, Bella began to tell Edward the things that she'd only recently begun to tell her friends. "James and I were forced to move when I was only three months pregnant. I've actually only been living here for a little over a year. James's boss accused him of having an affair with his wife." Bella shook her head. "I thought that was just ridiculous. James wouldn't cheat on me. And he told me that he had refused his boss's wife's advances so many times that she couldn't handle having him around anymore, so she'd had him fired." Bella's nose scrunched in a way that Edward found so cute, like a kitten thinking she was a tiger. "But there's one thing you can say about James, he was good at his job. The company refused to fire him, so they simply relocated him."

"I guess it was stupid of me, and I really should have seen it." Bella shook her head. "But, God, I was in my second trimester when we moved. I always wanted sex. I really don't understand why he would have done it."

Bella looked up into Edward's confused eyes and realized that he wasn't following her. "I broke it off with James because I found him in the act. After Jacob was born, I felt bad, because I wasn't allowed to…you know…anymore. So when the doctor gave me the go ahead, I went to surprise him in his office. Only, I was the one in for a surprise." She shook her head. "James is marrying her, now that the divorce is official, and of course, there's no hiding the fact that her child is his."

"Child?" Edward asked.

Bella nodded, "Recently delievered. She was between five and six months pregnant when I caught them. I hope she's happier than I was."

Gaping like a fish, Edward tried to comprehend what it was that he was being told. He knew that James had hurt her, cheated on her, but he'd had no idea.

Bella reached out and pressed his chin upwards, closing his mouth. "You don't want to catch flies."

Edward grasped her hand and brought her palm up to his lips. "I won't apologize, because you won't let me." Even through her angry tears, Bella laughed. "But I have to tell you that you are the most amazing woman that I have ever met, that I will ever meet. I don't deserve the chance to earn back your trust, but I'm glad you're giving it."

"You didn't give me much of a choice," Bella interjected.

Smiling, Edward brushed his lips across her wrist, sending butterflies through her system. "You're right. And I'm not going to change my mind about that. I'm meant to be with you, and I'm not letting my life go in any other direction. But," Edward cleared his throat. "As I was saying before. You deserve the world. I can't give you much more than a comfortable life and myself. Anything you want from me, you can have it."

Bella looked slightly uncomfortable. "You're not going to pull out that ring again, are you?"

"Not yet," Edward sighed. "We've barely begun the date. But now that we've got the hard part out of the way, we can have some fun."

"Fun, huh?" The waitress set down their plates, having more perfect timing that she could realize. Only moments before, and she would have come across a very interesting scene. Bella scooped up her noodles and took a bite, savoring the rare bite of a supper that she did not make. "And what are you qualifying as fun?"

"Well…" Edward chewed thoughtfully, "There is the movie. But I'm starting to think that we don't want to see that. So maybe we could go for a walk around the city."

Bella shook her head. "Who walks around the city on a Tuesday? We'd look like total creepers. Nothing is open."

Edward shrugged. "I guess. We could watch the movie, I just felt like we needed something to lighten the mood." Something to make it more appropriate to pull out the ring again. He needed her to be happier when he did it. Edward knew that she wouldn't accept tonight, but he wasn't going to give up the chance to ask. He planned to ask every time they were together.

"Slow down there, big boy," Bella shook her head. "We should go see the movie. Believe it or not, I've actually been looking forward to this. I haven't seen a movie since before Jacob was born. And even then, it wasn't ever a movie that I'd wanted to see." The more she thought about it, which she'd never let herself do before, the more she realized that James never made any sense in her life. They didn't like any of the same things. Movies, food, even the color that their plates should be led to a disagreement. She'd known that couples had arguments, but surely not so many.

Sighing dramatically, Edward gave in. "I suppose we should just go to the movie, then. But don't think that I'm going let you talk me out of leaving. If we go to the movie, You're going to have to sit through the whole thing with me little missy."

Bella rolled her eyes and smiled before returning to her pasta.

* * *

Somewhere between Johnny Depp ripping off his shirt and Edward's heat radiating into her left side, Bella decided that the movie had been a really bad idea. A REALLY REALLY BAD IDEA. The last time that she'd had sex was before Jacob had been born, and she was sitting next to the man that she had been practically humping like a dog in heat at a strip club. Yeah, this was a really bad idea.

She wondered how set Edward could truly be on the idea of remaining celibate unless they were married. He couldn't really be serious. They weren't in high school anymore. They were adults. She had been married and had a son. Obviously not a virgin.

Edward reached out and intertwined their fingers. It was strange, hadn't his touch soothed her at one time. Now all it did was cause more tension to build within her.

She gripped his hand more tightly, trying to relive just a tiny bit of the tension. Edward leaned down, whispering in her ear. Shivers ran down her back as his breath caressed her tender neck. "I'm not indestructible. You might break my fingers if you hold on any tighter." Edward found himself torn between reveling in the fact that she held him more tightly rather than pushing him away, and worried that he would lose both forms of income if she were to actually injure him.

"Sorry," Bella whispered, loosening her grip slightly. Her cheeks reddened and Edward found himself groaning as the light from the movie played across her face.

"I resend my condition," he whispered in her ear.

"Which condition?" Bella bit her lip as she tried to hold her body together. There seemed to be some kind of electric current pulsing between them.

"We don't have to watch the whole movie," he groaned into her ear, praying that she would take him up on the offer. The movie had lost his interest too long ago, and now all he could think about was Bella. And he knew that his thoughts would lead him to nothing chaste.

Bella nodded and they quickly jumped up and out of the row. It was just too much to handle.

Outside, the cool night air caressed her skin, and she had never been so glad for the fine mist that was so much like their hometown. It cooled her skin, taking away a bit of the tension that she'd felt inside.

Edward chuckled as he looked out to the street, "Okay, so dark spaces are clearly off limits until you agree to marry me."

"So stubborn," Bella muttered. Clearly, he was determined to see this saving themselves till marriage through. She wanted so badly to change his mind, but it was one of the things that had made her fall in love with him in the first place when they were in high school.

Reaching down, Edward took Bella's hand again, and they began to walk along the sidewalk, ignoring the wet atmosphere. "Well, since the movie was a bust, would you like me to take you home?"

_No_, she wanted to say_. I want you to take me back to your place and not let me out of your bed_, she wished she could say. But she held it in. "Maybe it would be for the best. Jacob is going to wake up in a few hours. His internal alarm clock has yet to synch to mine."

He knew that he really couldn't ask much more of her. He'd gotten her out, he'd gotten her to spend an evening with him, and the evening had gone well. Sure, he'd heard things that he hadn't ever wanted to hear, but he'd needed to hear them. He'd needed to know what it was that had happened after he'd left her life.

"But maybe," Bella felt that she was balancing on a thin line. Her heart so badly wanted to reach out and accept anything that Edward had to offer. But her mind wouldn't let her. Edward had left her once. Even if it was just for her own good, what would stop him from doing it again? "Maybe you could come in for a little while."

The corner of Edward's lip raised into his signature smirk. "I'd love that." And finally, Edward knew that the evening was moving in a direction that would allow him to propose again.

* * *

"What are you doing back so early?" Angela stood in the doorway, blocking Bella and Edward's entrance. "You are supposed to be on a date. You've only been gone for a couple of hours. I just got Jacob down for a nap."

"Sorry, Ang," Bella tried to peek around her friend. "You know I really can't be away from him for that long. Honestly, two times in a couple of weeks is a lot for me. Can't you just let me get to him?"

"You need to enjoy yourself," she said sternly. "Spend a night with Edward. Ben and I can take care of Jake for one night. You know that."

"Trust me, if Edward would let me," Bella slipped past her friend, leaving Edward to deal with the confused stare that Angela was throwing his way.

"What does she mean, if you would let her?" Angela stepped back so that Edward could enter. Clearly Bella was getting her son, so he might as well come in. "You'd have to be crazy to not spend a night with her."

Edward smiled at the confused woman. "I want to spend every night of the rest of my life with her. But she has to agree to marry me."

"An ultimatum," Angela laughed.

"Only kind of," Edward smiled.

Bella slowly descended the stairs, a sleeping Jacob perched on her hip. "Thank you for watching him, Angela. I really hope he wasn't too fussy after I left."

"He's always a little fussy, but he settles down. If you'd let him socialize more often..." Angela shook her head. There was no point in trying convince Bella of anything when it came to her son, especially something that would put distance between them. That was a definite no.

Smiling Bella kissed her friend on the cheek. "I'm working on it."


	12. That's Cheating

Sitting on the window sill, Edward watched as Bella rocked her son gently. It was a beautiful picture. One he'd always tried to keep from his mind. But there was nothing stopping it now. It was something that he would never be able to get rid of. And that was okay now. Now that Bella was back in his life, he was looking forward to seeing her do this for years to come. He could see little Jacob, a couple of years older, sitting in his lap, listening to his bedtime story, while Bella sat in that rocking chair, nursing their newborn.

"Stop staring at me," Bella's cheeks flushed. "I've never felt nervous about bottle feeding my son before."

"Sorry," Edward chuckled. "It's just amazing to watch you do that. It seems so natural."

"Thanks," Bella placed the bottle on the small table next to her and picked him up so that she could burp him. "There's little that I'm good at. But I'm good at this."

"I can see that," Edward stood up and walked to the side of her chair. He reached out his hands. "May I?"

Bella hesitated for only a moment. She stood slowly and placed Jacob into Edward's arm. Edward placed his hand under Jacob's head and lifted held him gently out so that he could look down on him. Then he smiled, knowing that Bella was watching him carefully. "I'm gonna need your help Jake."

Bella's brow knit in confusion. What was Edward up to?

"You see," Edward continued to speak to the baby. "I've been in love with your mother for a long time. And I need your help to convince her to marry me. You see, one day, I know that we're going to be a family. It's going to be you, your mother, me, and all your little brothers and sisters." Edward's smile grew as he heard Bella gasp. "I know your mom wants it too, but she's too scared to admit it. So you'll have to help me convince her. And the sooner you do it, the better. I don't want to waste any more of my life without my family."

"Okay," Bella held her hands out. "That's more than enough. My son is not a pawn for you to use."

Edward placed Jacob gently back into her arms. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I'll wait in the other room for you to put him to bed."

Bella shook her head and looked down at her son's closed eyes. She waited until she heard Edward's steps disappear before she smiled. "Don't you dare go and help him. He's got to prove himself on his own. And using you is cheating."

Shaking her head, she laid her son in his crib and covered him with his fleecy blue blanket. As she pulled back, all she could think about was Edward holding his son. There had been no hesitation. There had been no distaste. He had simply held Jacob as if he was precious, which of course he was. And it was an image that she would never be able to get rid of, and one that she'd want to see again.

With one last glance at her son, she made her way into the living room. Edward was walking around the room, looking at the few pictures still hanging up on the walls. He ran his fingers over her smiling face in a picture of the 'triplets', as he'd come to think of them in his mind. It wasn't the smile that he'd loved so much when they were in high school, but he had a feeling that it was as close as she'd come in her new life. He'd never thought that one decision that he could make could change someone else's life so drastically.

Bella stayed in the doorway, not wanting to surprise him, but also just wanting to force herself to believe what was happening. Edward was standing in her living room. Edward wanted to be here in her living room. And that was because she was here, and he wanted to be with her.

Unable to deal with the distance anymore, she walked across the room. She placed her hand gently on his arm and looked at the picture he was studying as well. "That was the first time we all went out after Jacob was born. Probably about four weeks before I walked in and found James with her. We didn't do anything as wild as going to a strip club," she smiled up at him, "Just a dinner and wine night. Angela and Ben had Jacob, because James never really took interest in him."

Edward's brow furrowed as he got this new information. There had been hints to James's absent behavior with his son, but he'd never believed that it had been that bad. He couldn't imagine how anyone could look at Bella and Jacob and not want to be a part of it.

"They saved me," she said quietly. Then she shook her head and pulled him away from the photo. That wasn't something that they really needed to discuss anymore tonight. No, she wanted to see if she could push his limits tonight. She most definitely would not be having sex with him tonight. She knew that he was too stubborn to let her get that far, but they'd been nearly dry humping on the stage in the club. Surely they could get that far again on the comfort of her couch. She pulled him toward the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink? I don't have much, just what the girls have brought. I really don't like to drink."

"Do you have wine? I really can only have one glass since I'm gonna have to drive back home." They were both disappointed by the statement. They knew it was coming, but neither wanted to be separated.

Bella poured two glasses of wine. Edward picked them up and followed her out to the couch. Handing Bella hers, he took a sip from his own. He needed to find his moment. He was going to ask her. He was going to take every chance that he could to ask her. But he had to get her in the right mood again.

Placing his glass on the table, he reached for Bella's at the same time that he reached for her face.

"Wait," Edward pulled back a little, uncertain of what she wanted him to wait for. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him down till he was lying on top of her on the couch, then she smiled. "Okay."

Edward chuckled before pressing his lips down to hers. It was heaven. She was so soft beneath him. Her lips tasted so sweet with only the slightest hint of the alcohol she'd just tasted. And Bella loved the feel of his weight pressing down on her. It made her feel safe.

Things heated up quickly, and soon it was more than safety that Edward was causing her to think about. She squirmed and scratched her nails down his back. She needed to feel him. Reaching the bottom of his back, she pulled at his shirt until it came free from his pants and planted her hands on his back. The skin contact caused a shock to jolt them both.

Edward pulled back, gasping, to look down at her. "Marry me," he whispered.

Bella's eyes widened. "This is really the tactic you're going to use."

"You didn't answer me." Edward growled.

"No," she shook her head and pushed him back. "No, I can't marry you."

"Yet," Edward said, not feeling deterred. He pulled the box from his pocket and held it out for her to see. "But I promise, one day soon, you will be wearing this ring."

Bella couldn't help but smile as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I hope your right."

Edward gently cupped her face and pulled her around so that he could look into her eyes. "You know I'm right. The sooner you admit it, the more time we can spend together, and the faster I can get you into bed."

"Tempting," Bella placed her hand on Edward's. "But I have so much more to worry about if you change your mind than just my own heart."

"I'll prove myself to you," Edward knew that there was no point in arguing with her. Actions would speak for themselves. He would do everything he could to prove to her how much he loved her and how he couldn't live without her.

Bella leaned back and sighed, "I guess this means that you have to go home, now."

Nodding, Edward brushed his fingers across her cheek. "I want to stay. But I have to get up for work in the morning. All of my clothes are at my apartment and I'd have to wake up an hour earlier to get home. And though I think it would be completely worth it to get a few more hours with you in my arms, we don't need that kind of temptation."

Bella smiled, "You make me feel like a horny teenage boy with his virgin girlfriend. 'No bed till we're wed'."

Edward leaned in and gave her one last sweet kiss, not wanting to ever have to move away from them. "Just a little extra push in the right direction."

* * *

Pulling into the parking garage of his apartment, Edward couldn't help but sigh. Everything in him was fighting getting out of the car. He should have stayed. The distance between them wasn't doing either of them any good. He knew that now was the time that she would start questioning herself, questioning him. And he didn't believe for one moment that every moment of torture that she would have inflicted on him by forcing him to deny her, and himself, would have been completely worth spending the night with her, and the extra hour to his morning would have been nothing.

He dragged himself out of his car and up the stairs to his apartment trying desperately to remember all the good things that had come out of tonight. The most important of which being hope. He had hope that it couldn't be too much longer. He'd take however long it took to convince her, but there was no doubt in his mind that he'd gained a lot tonight. Bella had told him everything that had happened, at least with her former husband, and she stuck around when she should have been mad at him. She had let him into her home, twice, while her son was in it. And she'd let him hold Jacob. That was the ultimate show of trust in his mind.

And in hers, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She had told him that it was no longer just her own heart that she had to worry about anymore. It was Jacob. She had to worry about bringing him into her son's life just to have him leave again. But that wouldn't happen. He couldn't leave, even if he wanted to.

Unable to resist some form of contact, Edward picked up his phone. Bella would be exhausted, so he wouldn't take up much of her time, just enough to let her know that he'd gotten home safe, and that he was still thinking of her.

_Getting into bed. Wishing you were here. I love you_

It was risky, but he had to say it. He didn't want to push her, but she needed to know it. She always needed to know it. If she discovered nothing else about him, she should know that he loved her.

* * *

Bella picked up her phone and couldn't stop the flutter that she felt in her stomach. As soon as Edward had left, she'd made her way back into her son's bedroom. She wasn't ready to head to her own, she wasn't ready to be alone. So instead, she sat in the rocking chair and watched her son sleep peacefully through the bars of his bed.

Her heart squeezed as she realized that in this one night, Edward had spent more with her son than James had since she'd brought him home from the hospital. And there hadn't been any sense of obligation in his stance when he'd held Jacob. It had seemed so natural for them to be together. Bella wanted that for her son. But she'd seen this side of Edward before. There was no denying that she loved this side of Edward, but she also knew that there was another side. There was the side that felt the need to push those that he loved away because he felt that he wasn't enough for them. She'd like to believe that she could stop him if it ever happened again. But he'd been successful in cutting his parents out of his life. How hard would it be to cut her and Jacob out of his life?

Looking back at the phone, she wanted this side of Edward to stick around. She wanted to wear his ring. But what if they did get married? What if they were together, happy for many years, and then he suddenly decided to leave again? Bella wouldn't be the only one left. Jacob would have experienced the love of a true father only to have it ripped away from him.

Bella shook her head. But what if he didn't leave? What if they were able to spend the rest of their lives together happily?

She wanted that.

Looking down at her phone again, she felt the tug at her heart.

_I wish you had stayed. Sleep well._

It was all she could offer him now. She was afraid to bare her heart just yet. She wasn't sure how much longer it would be. But she knew that she couldn't hold out on him forever. He'd held her heart for so long.

Bella glanced at her son for only a few more minutes. She was tired. It had been an emotional night. Between telling him about James and the sexual tension they carried between them she was exhausted. But she couldn't sleep. Not yet.

Escaping into her room she went to the closet and stood on her tip toes looking for the box that she had sworn she would never open. When she and James had separated, Alice and Rosalie gave her a gift, well several gifts really. And she was going to open it for the first time tonight. The silvery box came into reach and she smiled. Taking off the bow and looking inside she found an array of toys. There were several that were scary, some were colorful, but all were things that she would have been too embarrassed to get herself. Reaching in, she picked up the bullet. She didn't want to overdo it tonight, but she did need to get some sleep.

Getting completely naked, Bella slipped under the covers, onto the side of the bed that she didn't normally sleep on. Turning on the tiny vibrator, she placed it against her collar bone. She'd never used one of these before, but she knew the basics. Slowly, she moved it down to her breasts, circling it slowly, making smaller and smaller circles until it made contact with her nipple, and then she moved to the other and repeated the pattern. God, it felt so good. It was new, and she did it again just to feel the new sensations again.

Unable to wait any longer, she left her breasts and worked her way down her body. The muscles of her stomach tightened as she passed over her naval. Such a simple touch and she was nearly shaking. She had not known that her body could be so responsive. Sure, sometimes James had gotten a response out of her, but never with such ease.

When she reached the patch of curls on her mound, she hesitated. This was definitely new territory, and while she knew the mechanics, she was still rusty on application. Soon the vibrations made her forget her hesitation. She pushed the bullet down further until it reached her most sensitive point. Her hips bucked off the bed and she gasped for air. How had she missed out on this? It didn't take much, in fact, she didn't even have to move the bullet from her clit. A few more blissfully torturous moments and she felt the tightening in her stomach that alerted her to the fact that she was about to lose it.

Legs nearly cramping from her how tightly her body held itself, Bella rode her orgasm through, finding herself finally able to relax. Tossing the bullet onto the nightstand, she rolled onto her side of the bed, leaving the wet spot for laundry in the morning. Sighing one last time as her eyes closed, heavy with sleep, she wondered how responsive her body would be if it were Edward rather than her new favorite toy.


	13. How to Pick a Rose

A/N: Sorry it's been so long guys. I won't take up much of your reading time. I really hadn't intended to drop this story, but when Novel November rolled around, I couldn't stop myself. And then there were finals... I know, excuses, excuses, but I'm back, and I'm going to get this story out for you guys.

* * *

Alice hummed to herself as she walked around the kitchen in nothing but a shirt, cooking breakfast for the man still sleeping in her bed. She told Jasper that she had a feeling about him, and that feeling had been right. He was the man that she was going to spend the rest of her life with. If the way that they'd worked together to force Bella and Edward to talk hadn't been proof enough, the way they worked in the bedroom last night had been proven everything. The few men that she'd let into her bed had always been careful with her, because they thought that she would break. But Jasper hadn't been careful.

She shivered as she remembered.

"If you're cold, darlin'," Jasper had snuck up behind her. "Maybe you should walk around in more than just my shirt." He tugged on the material, admiring how small she was. The shirt came down to the middle of her thighs. It made him feel protective, possessive of the little pixie.

Alice smiled, "I was just about to sneak back into a very warm bed, but it would appear that my space heater has decided to wander from his designated spot."

Jasper chuckled. "Just coming out to see what my little cowgirl was doin'. Since you're so desperate to get back to bed, though," Jasper bent down and swiftly tossed Alice over his shoulder. "I suppose I could take you back myself."

Alice giggled as Jasper swatted her bottom. When he plopped her back down on the bed, slid under the covers and pulled her into his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and closed his eyes. They wouldn't be able to stay in bed forever. Soon, she'd have to actually get up and go to work, but they could enjoy this for a little while longer.

Sighing, Alice scratched lightly at Jasper's chest. "Bella and Edward went on their date last night. Do you think they screwed it up?"

"Nah," Jasper scratched his chin across the top of her head. "Edward won't let her get away. He knows he made a mistake before. He'll do anything to get her to take him back."

"To be honest," Alice closed her eyes and inhaled Jasper's scent. He was so masculine. "it's Bella that I'm more worried about. She's been so skittish since I've met her. I mean, I never would have thought that the cage could have gone as well as it did."

"Edward's Bella isn't exactly the Bella that you know," Jasper responded. "But if you don't mind," his hands snuck down to grip her bottom. "I'd rather not talk about Edward and Bella right now."

Alice smirked and wrapped her leg around Jasper's waist, totally up for being distracted.

* * *

Edward walked through the back entrance of the club, realizing that it wouldn't be long before he didn't do this anymore. Soon, he would simply be Professor Cullen. There wouldn't be anymore secret part of his life. There wouldn't be any scanning of the crowd for students. And there was a small part of him that would miss it. Not the job, but the place. It had kind of saved him, kept him alive.

"Edward," Charlotte shouted from the main room as he came through the hall. "The new recruits are here and I need you boys to supervise. You know what I want." As Edward nodded Charlotte turned back toward her office. "Peter," she barked.

Peter jumped and followed her like a lost puppy. He wasn't going to lose any chance to be with her. Especially now that she had gone through the trouble to find a replacement for him. She was planning on taking him off the floor. That was a big step on her part, and he was going to make sure that she knew that he understood that.

Emmett's hand came down hard on Edward's shoulder. "Well, it looks like Charlotte has finally come to her senses."

"I'd say so," Edward smirked.

"About time too," Jasper leaned back in a chair and looked the new recruits over. They needed work. "Alice tells me that you and Bella had a date last night."

Edward's smirk became a smile. His friends didn't need any more evidence that things had gone well.

"When are you seeing her again?" Emmett finally turned his eyes toward the stage where their replacements were warming up and eyeing each other with trepidation. He wondered if they were more scared of being outshined or that their new coworkers might be gay. He would be lying if he said that he'd never wondered about Jasper and Edward.

"Don't know," Edward said honestly. "I hope to take her out again next Tuesday, but I know I won't be able to go that long without seeing her. Maybe we can do something on Saturday since I won't have classes."

Jasper stood up abruptly, "That's enough. I'm going to put on some music and I want you to each find a spot on the stage. Do what comes naturally to you. I want to see what we're working with." Sitting back down, he spun the remote on the table beneath his fingers impatiently waiting for the recruits to follow orders. When they were all in their places he hit play. A simple beat began to make its way through the speakers.

Hips started to move, but the three could see that all of them were still uncomfortable with what they'd signed up for. So they let them continue, barely paying them any mind.

Emmett turned toward the other two. "Has either Bella or Alice mentioned Rosalie. She hasn't called me back."

Jasper chuckled. "Don't know much about Rosalie, but she's going to be a hard chase for you. She isn't going to let you just have her."

"I know that," Emmett mumbled. "But it would be nice if she'd at least respond. I'd like to know if what I'm doing is right."

"Good luck," Edward shook his head as he watched a boy with blonde hair's hips jerk off beat for just a moment before they picked up the proper speed. It could be just nerves, but it could also be a lack of rhythm, and that would be a serious problem. "I've only met the girl once, and I can't say that I'd ever be willing to take her on."

"She's all passion,' Emmett watched as one of the boys got brave and lifted his arms above his head, finally showing a little initiative. There might be hope for that one. They needed to not be afraid to show what they could do. If they were afraid here, how would they react in front of a room full of women. Or in the cage. "And that's just what I need in a woman. I bet she's passionate about everything she does."

Edward believed that was probably true. She'd already shown that she was passionate about her friends and passionate when she was angry. She could probably be passionately happy, or passionately loving. It just wasn't his intention to find out. As far as he was concerned, Rosalie would simply be the hard ass that Bella could always depend on to protect her.

"How long has it been since you two have talked?" Jasper wasn't happy with what he saw. He was beginning to think that he'd never get away from this club if this was the type of dancer that was going to be replacing him. Sure, he'd been a bit of a novice when he'd entered the club. But there was no way that he hadn't been willing to put forward his best when it came to getting the job. These boys were either holding back, or had nothing to give.

"Since Saturday when the girls burst in her," Emmett answered glumly. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to be too pushy. I really don't think she'd respond kindly to that."

Edward shook his head and pulled out his phone. He may not be able to do much, but he could try to make his friend happy.

* * *

_Could you ask Rosalie to give my buddy a break. It's killing him that she won't give him any kind of response._

Bella snorted, looking up at her best friends, who she couldn't seem to get rid of these days. "Rose, how long are you planning on ignoring Emmett?"

"I'm not ignoring him," she huffed. "I'm just not giving in right away."

"Well give in a little faster," Alice sipped her wine and giggled. "I mean, the poor boy's giving up his job for you."

"WHAT?" Rosalie sat up a little straighter and looked at her friend in shock. "Wha-why would he do that?"

"And how do you know anyway?" Bella cocked her head sideways as she studied her tiny friend.

"Oh, you know." Alice shrugged. "Just pillow chat."

Rose burst out into laughter. "Talk about giving in quickly. The first time you see Jasper out of the club, you take him to bed."

"I told you I wanted to see what he could do," Alice said without any shame. "Well I found out. And let me tell you, it was like I'd never had sex before."

"Language," Bella warned.

Alice waved her friend off. "He has no idea what I'm saying. We really don't need to start watching our language until he starts repeating things."

"Which could be at any time," Bella pleaded. "Please, I don't want the first words out of my sons mouth to be something vulgar."

"Fine. I'll be more careful. But only if you promise to tell us what happened last night."

"Nothing," Bella blushed and ducked her head. "Nothing happened last night. We just went out to dinner and a movie."

"Yeah right," Rose rolled her eyes. "Because we all believe that you simply went to dinner and a movie with the man that you dry humped on stage."

"Will you two ever let me live that down." Bella sighed. "Yes, I lost it for a moment. Everyone loses it every once in a while."

"And there was no repeat of said loss," Alice raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"No," Bella felt her cheeks heat even further. "There was no repeat. The farthest we got was making out. Nothing more."

"I don't know," Rose smiled mischivously. "She doesn't look sexually flustered. Surely if they'd done a bit of heavy petting on the couch without any release, she would appear a bit more..." Rose chuckled, "Unless of course you took care of that on your own."

Glaring at her friends, Bella picked Jacob up and placed him in his bouncer. "You are avoiding the topic. Are you going to speak to Emmett or not. The poor guy is probably killing himself thinking that you don't want anything to do with him"

"Fine," Rose huffed as she picked up her phone. She sent two words to her waiting suitor, afraid that even this was giving him too much.

* * *

_Impress me_

Emmett didn't know exactly what to make of that. They'd already given the new recruits a routine to work on. They were going to be given a second chance. But one more night like they'd had tonight, and Charlotte was going to have to go looking again. These boys thought that they were just going to make it through on their looks.

Jasper glanced over his friend's shoulder. "Dude, that sucks."

Emmett glared at his friend. "That's really helpful."

"I'm not trying to be helpful," Jasper chuckled. "I'm just being honest. And honestly, that sucks."

"Don't scare him," Edward glanced down at the message. "At least she's responding now. That's a step in the right direction. Now just do what she told you to, impress her."

"How?" Emmett shook his head. "There isn't a damn thing that I could do that she hasn't seen before. I mean," Emmett turned toward his friends. "You've seen her. Men have probably been falling all over themselves to get to her for as long as she can remember. How am I supposed to impress a girl like that? I mean, she obviously hasn't found anything that they've done impressive or she wouldn't be single now."

"No," Jasper stretched, feeling oddly tired for this early in the night. "It's not that no one has ever gotten to her before. It's that whoever did hurt her, and hurt her bad. You're up against something, I'm just not sure what. But if Alice didn't tell me, that means that you're going to have to find out on your own."

"You're probably going to have to find an angle that has nothing to do with her looks." Edward glanced at his phone for only the fiftieth time that night. Bella hadn't sent him a response, although Emmett recieving one from Rose was proof that she'd gotten his message. "You have to learn something about her."

Jasper chuckled, "That means you have to listen when she speaks, not just watch her mouth move."

Edward shook his head. They really ought to give Emmett more credit. He clearly picked up on more than they thought he did. All Edward had to do was think of the night that Bella had shown up at the club, and he had all the proof he needed. Emmett made him feel like an open book the way he spoke.

"Won't you get me any help at all," Emmett pleaded with his friends. "Something. I've only seen the girl here and she won't let me into her life. There's got to be something that you can give me. Where does she work? Anything."

Edward shrugged, "Sorry, I got Bella to ask her to give you a break. That's about as far as I can stick my neck out. You have to remember, I'm still in the doghouse here."

Emmett snorted, "You're not in the doghouse. Bella would take you to bed in an instant if you'd let her. We all saw what happened in the cage."

"But bedding her is not what I'm aiming for." Edward raised an eyebrow. "And if all you're thinking about is bedding Rosalie, I would highly suggest you leave her alone. I don't know her well, but I won't let you treat one of Bella's friends as your plaything."

"Jeesh," Emmett placed the phone into his bag, trying not to think to hard about what he was going to have to do, because he really had no idea. "Don't go all big brother on me. I'm not only thinking about getting her into bed. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it."

"And what about you?" Edward turned toward Jasper. "Please tell me that you are thinking about something other than getting Alice into bed."

Jasper smiled, "I don't really think when I'm with Alice. When she starts walking back to the bedroom, that's where we go."

"Dude," Emmett's face fell. "I knew you'd been on a date, but you didn't say anything about spending the night with her."

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "We don't share everything. This was personal. Something between just Alice and me."

"Well at least there's that," Edward whispered under his breath. He'd been hoping that Jasper would hold out a little. He knew that he was different than his friends, but he'd alwas felt that there should be some at least 'get to know you' time before sex was entered into the equation. He wondered if that was because of how he was raised or if it was simply the way that he felt about Bella.

He thought about that as he made his way to Charlotte's office. His parents had always been very insistant that he should wait until he found the person that he was going to spend the rest of his life with. They'd said it was best to wait till marriage, but they would have understood if he had been with Bella in high school. Then again, they knew that he'd planned to marry her.

Knocking on the door, Edward waited only a few moments before a beaming Peter opened the door. A little taken aback, Edward moved past Peter as he stepped back.

Charlotte could be seen at her desk, quickly pinning up her hair. "What can I do for you Edward?"

Edward held in his smile as he looked between the obviously happy couple. "I just wanted to let you know that if you plan on keeping these boys, they're going to take a lot of work. They have very little potential."

Charlotte waved him off. "They said the same thing about you when I brought you in. It doesn't take much to learn how to move your hips in a seductive way. You just have to be willing to learn."

Peter chuckled before sitting on the corner of the desk facing Edward. He picked up a couple of papers off of Charlotte's desk and began to read them.

Unsure of what that was all about, Edward turned his attention back to Charlotte. "The boys and I are going to head out. But we'll be back tomorrow night. I just wanted to keep you in the loop on your new recruits."

"Thanks, I'll see you boys tomorrow night." Charlotte waved Edward out the door just as Peter picked up a pen and began to sign the sheet he was looking at."

As soon as the door was shut, Peter placed the papers in front of Charlotte to sign herself. She smiled and held out her hand. "It's going to be great working with you, partner."

Peter took her hand and shook it firmly twice before dragging her around the desk and into his arms. "I'd rather seal this deal with a kiss if you don't mind."

Charlotte smiled and stood up on her tiptoes so that her lips pressed firmly, but chastely to Peter's. When she fell back to her heels, she placed her ear against his chest. "There's no going back now." She placed her chin where her ear had just been so that she was looking up at Peter's face. "You're stuck here forever."

Peter was still smiling the smile that hadn't left his face since she'd told him that she wanted him to be her partner in business. "Where else would I be?"


	14. Family Date

Saturday morning had seemed like forever away, but now that it was here, Edward found himself nervously sitting outside the love of his life's home. He prayed that the time would soon come when he could walk in without feeling light she might kick him out.

Finally feeling ridiculous, he got out and moved toward the door. There was a small part of him that thought that he might be waking her up, but he couldn't let that hold him back. Saturdays he had to be back into the club by one since they opened earlier. He had to see her. Waiting until he had another day off just wasn't going to work.

Ringing the doorbell, Edward knocked his the side of his fist against his thigh willing Bella to open the door.

He was more than a little surprised when she answered the door only moments later, completely dressed and ready for the day. "Hey," she smiled up at him. "I wasn't expecting to see you today. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you and Jacob would like to join me on a trip to the zoo." Edward felt the smile stretch across his face as he looked down at Bella's beautiful face.

Bella smirked, "You know proposing to me in public isn't going to change my answer, right?"

Edward shook his head, "How little do you think of me to think I'd sink so low?"

"Don't play with me," Bella raised an eyebrow as she turned back into the house. "You haven't passed up a chance to propose me yet."

"You can't blame me," Edward followed her in and shut the door behind him. Jacob was sitting in his little bouncer, seemingly happy with everything in his world. "How early does he wake up?" Edward chuckled.

Bella had left the room and came back with what appeared to be a diaper bag. "Five or six. I've never been able to sleep past that." She picked Jacob up out of his bouncer and he reached out to grab a hold of a chunk of her hair. "Are you sure you have time for this? Last week you were at the club rather early."

"We do open earlier on Saturday," Edward nodded. "But I want to spend the morning with you and Jake. And I can't remember the last time I went to the zoo."

"Okay," Bella handed Edward the daiper bag, wanting to see if he hesitated. Wanting to see how he would react to the simplest thing involving her son.

If she had been hoping for an out, hoping that Edward would quickly show that he didn't want to be a part of her son's life, she would be sorely dissapointed. Edward quickly reached out and took the bag from her and held the door open for her.

Bella quickly grabbed her keys, another test. She began to walk toward her car, thinking that Edward would stop her. She wasn't going to let Edward drive his Volvo, no matter how safe it was. There was no car seat, and it would take forever to move hers into his car.

Again, Edward surprised her by simply following, even opening the back door so that she didn't have to shift Jacob.

After she'd buckled him in, Edward stood waiting. He wanted to drive. There was this protective side of him that needed to be in control of the situation. But he'd given up all control to Bella. And even though he prefered to be at the wheel, he would wait until she offered it to him.

Bella watched as Edward shifted nervously. The side of her mouth twitched as she realized what he wanted. Holding her keys out to him, she shook her head and went around to the passenger side.

Edward smiled as he looked down at her keys. She trusted him. She trusted him to drive her car. She trusted him to drive while her son was in the car. Little things that she might not even realize she was giving him. LIttle things that made him feel like he was flying on top of the world.

"I didn't even know the zoo opened up this early," Bella glanced at the time. "I mean, are the animals even awake at this time?"

Edward chuckled as he backed out and began to make his way toward the zoo. "Most zoos are cheaper at this time. The shows don't start until after lunch, and sometimes they have the animals out of their exhibits so that the vets can look at them. I wish I could have gotten you a better time."

Bella placed her hand on his arm, realizing that he was probably critisising himself more on the inside than what she heard. "Edward, for now, this is all you can offer. If you stick around, maybe we can do a full day at the zoo then."

"I really wish you wouldn't talk like that," Edward placed his hand over hers on his arm. "I'm not going anywhere. Now that I know what my life is like without you, you're never gonna get rid of me. I don't care if I have to spend a lifetime proving that to you, as long as you let me."

"I'm willing to let you," Bella said, and then tried to lighten the mood. "After all, I didn't slam the door on you this morning. That's promising, right?"

"I'll take it," Edward smiled. "Have you ever taken Jacob to the zoo before."

"No," Bella let her hand slip back into her lap. She loved touching Edward. She loved the feel of his hard body against any part of hers. But she also knew that she didn't think straight when that strange spark travelled between them. It was something that she had never understood, something she'd never known could exist until Edward. "We really don't get much farther than to the park around the corner. That, and I don't really want to spend more money than I have to."

Edward's brow furrowed. "Are you having trouble with money?"

Bella hesitated just long enough for Edward to have his answer. "Bella, what's the matter? Do you need help?"

"Not help," Bella said slowly. "What I really need is a job. But I have a hard time leaving Jacob long enough to go on a job interview. And even when I can get to one, they say that I'm overqualified for any position. I need to find something, I'm still having to make payments on the house. I really love my house."

"It's a nice house," Edward agreed. "English major, right?"

"Yeah," Bella turned around to check on her son, who was happily blowing bubbles. "I wanted to get my masters, because there's only so much that you can do with a bachelors in English, but James wouldn't let me. He was very against having an educated wife. If he could have convinced me to drop out of college, he would have done it in an instant."

Edward's grip tightened on the steering wheel for a moment. He wished now, like he'd wished more than a thousand times before, that he could hurt James the same way that he had hurt his girl. Bella was beautiful and smart. She was individual and independant. And this James had almost ruined her. When Edward had broken her heart and sent her on her way, he'd never thought that she would find someone who would treat her so horribly. He didn't think that it was possible for someone to treat her so horribly. She deserved to be treated like a goddess. And there shouldn't be a man on earth who didn't see that in her.

"Maybe I could find you a position at the university." Edward said hesitantly. He was scared to get excited by the idea. If Bella started to work in the same University as him, even if it was large, there was a chance that they would see each other during the day. That was five days a week that he might be able to have lunch with her. Five days a week that she could 'pop in' to his office. It could be amazing. But he didn't want to hope.

"What kind of position could they offer me?" Bella didn't want to hope either. She didn't want to have to move back home with her father. She loved him, and he loved her, but Charlie would look at her with those eyes. Those eyes filled with dissapointment and pity. Dissapointment that she'd let herself get into the kind of relationship with a man like James. Pity because he felt that he understood. But he could never really understand.

Renee left him, and Bella knew that her father never really got over it. He'd loved her. He'd loved her in a way that would have put many other men's affection for their wives to shame. So she would never downplay the pain that he felt, that she was sure he still felt when it came to her parents' divorce. But it was different. The pain that her father felt during his divorce is what she would compare her breakup with Edward to. But this, there was nothing she could compare this to. James hadn't just made her feel undesirable, hadn't just cheated on her, he'd embarrased her. He'd embarrased her in front of all the people in the office that he'd worked in before they moved because he had cheated on her, and yet she'd stayed with him, believed him. He'd embarrased her in front of all the people at his current office because there was no way they didn't know about his sordid affair. But worst of all, she'd embarrased her most of all with herself. Because she'd let herself get into this. She'd forced herself to believe him, even when all the signs told her that she shouldn't.

"Well, if you applied for grad school, you could work as a TA." Edward said, pulling her from her own head. "I mean, you won't be making a lot, but it's a job, and you'll finally get to finish what you started."

"If only," Bella said. "First I'd have to take the GRE. And then, if I passed, I'd have to apply. We're looking at a process that would take months, at the least." She reached out and ran her fingers through her hair. Her eyes widened and she pulled her hand back immediately. She hadn't meant to be so intimate. But her body had reacted on instinct. When they'd dated in high school, her fingers had spent a lot of time in his hair. She'd found any excuse she could to touch the infamous curls. She'd brush his hair out of his eyes, or scratch his scalp when he'd lay his head on her lap while the snuggled on the couch.

"That's true," Edward said crestfallen. He was upset that he hadn't been able to help her, but also that she'd pulled away so quickly. That was the second time today that she'd pulled away. He should be rejoicing over the fact that she was simply touching him. But he couldn't stop the twinge of hurt that he felt at the quickness of her withdraw.

"Is there any other jobs in the university that are available to someone not still in college," Bella asked quietly. She still felt wierd about what had just happened. "I'd be willing to take just about any job at this point."

Suddenly, a possible opportunity popped into Edward's head. "If I were able to find you a job, would you promise me that you would begin the process to try to getting into the grad program?"

Bella raised an eyebrow, "You think you have a job for me?"

"Promise first," Edward said as he pulled into the parking space. "Promise me that you will take the GRE if I get you a job."

Bella smiled, "I promise."

"Okay," Edward looked at her. "The woman who has been running the office for the Music Department is about to retire. They're going to give her job to her assistant, but they haven't hired anyone yet to take the assistant's job. If you come in Monday, I think I might be able to get you the job." He took her hand across the console, praying that she wouldn't take it back from him. "I can't promise that they'll give it to you, but it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Bella nodded her head. "It is," she whispered. Before she could rethink it, she leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear before exiting the car and going to get her son. Holding hands, stroking his hair, and hugging were so much closer to the type of relationship that they'd once had than she'd originally been planning on participating in. Making out, heavy petting, and pushing limits were what she was looking for now. It was harder to fall in love that way. It felt less like love that way.

Edward led them to the kiosk and bought their tickets as well as a stroller. They were quiet for the first ten minutes, each considering the ride that had just occurred. But the silence was too much for Bella eventually.

"Do you come to the zoo often?" she smiled up at him.

"Only when I can't sleep," Edward answered honestly. "When I first moved here, while I was still taking courses, I would come out here and go to the aquarium. It was usually quiet because the kids wanted to go to the reptile house and the cat house more than they wanted to see the fish."

They stopped when Jacob cried out as they passed a particularly loud monkey. Bella reached into the stroller and pulled her son out. Bouncing him slightly, she walked toward the gate and pointed to the monkey that was making all the noise. "It's just a monkey, baby," she whispered as she nuzzled into her cheek. "There's nothing to be scared of."

"Yeah, little man," Edward appeared beside them, and two sets of chocolate brown eyes met his. "That monkey's just saying hello."

For the first time, Jacob looked into Edward's eyes with extreme interest, as if taking in everything he said. Edward could see so much of Bella in the little boy. Then, taking both Bella and Edward by surprise, Jacob reached out and took a hold of Edward's shirt, his grasp so strong that Edward couldn't pull away without stretching the shirt.

"I've never seen him do that," Bella said quietly. It was almost lost to the sound of the monkey, who was still screeching, but Edward's ears were attuned to her voice.

Edward smiled at the little boy and leaned a little closer to him. "You're Mommy made me promise not to propose to her in public today, but maybe you could start wearing her down for me. Maybe if you like me, she'll want to be with me."

"Leave my son out of this," Bella said as sternly as she possibly could. "You will not use him to sway me. That is not playing fair."

"I'm not promising to play fair," Edward smirked at her. "We will be together. I'm just trying to speed up the process."

Bella shook her head before pulling away. Jacob had finally let go and look back toward the monkey, who had finally decided to give his audience a moment of reprieve. She placed him back in the stroller and began to move down the sidewalk, Edward planted firmly at her side. "I want to belive you," she finally said. "I want to believe you when you tell me that you're not going anywhere. I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to believe you when you tell me that nothing will change your mind."

'Then believe me,' Edward wanted to say. 'Don't let any more of our time together be taken from us,' he wanted to beg her. But he knew that wasn't what she needed to hear. "I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe me again. If there's anything I can do to prove it, just let me know."

She rolled her eyes, "It's not that simple." If it were that simple, she wondered if she would tell him. If she knew what it was that he needed to do, would she help him along, or would she try to stop him from proving himself? She couldn't honestly answer that question.

The morning went well, and Bella was so glad that Edward had taken the chance and come to get them.

She looked down at her son who was watching with rapt attention as all the colorful birds flew around them. He wasn't near old enough to appreciate the other animals, but this made him giggle.

Bella smiled and Edward couldn't resist turning her face and leaning down to press their lips together in a chaste kiss. "Marry me," he whispered against her mouth.

She hesitated. It was so unexpected, so sweet. But it wasn't right. She couldn't say yes. "You said you wouldn't ask me in public."

Edward smirked, by his eyes showed some of the rejection he felt. He wasn't going to let it get to him. He was going to have to work hard to get Bella back, to get her to be his wife. But it wasn't hard to admit that being rejected four times hurt. He had to just keep reminding himself that she would say yes, eventually. "I couldn't resist."

Bella pulled back from him. "Keep trying," she whispered. She'd seen the look in her eyes, and it had hurt her to know that she'd caused him pain. But she couldn't say yes.

Nodding, Edward turned to watch a particularly colorful bird preen himself, "Trust me, I will."

Noon rolled around and Bella and Edward headed back to the car. Edward wanted to stay longer, but he had a job to get to. With any luck, he would be done in just a few weeks, just in time for spring break. If he was lucky, he'd be able to convince her to go home with him for the holiday.

At her door, Bella couldn't stop herself from reaching for him. She threaded her fingers through the hairs at the nape of his neck and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. The kiss was sweet. It summed up the way she felt about their morning together. "Monday?" she asked against his lips, not wanting to move away because she knew the spell would be broken.

"Monday," Edward agreed before reaching up to cup her cheeks and kiss her again.


	15. Finding Her Passion

"So I googled, Rosalie," Emmett said as they all sat down in front of their mirrors.

"Classy, Emmett," Edward organized his cosmetics almost obsessively.

"Neither of you were helping," Emmett pointed out. "I needed to find out some things about her, and she wasn't going to let me find out the normal way. She wants me to impress her."

"What did you find, Emmett?" Jasper asked in exasperation.

"Rose remodels cars," Emmett smiled. "She remodels them and then takes them to competitions."

"Well that's definately interesting," Edward said as he put on a foundation of base. "But what are you going to do with it? And remember, you're trying not to seem like a stalker here."

Jasper sorted as he wielded his eyeliner pencil. He'd tried liquid, but when you were sweating as much as he did on stage, this was better.

"It's something to talk about," Emmett grumbled, realizing that he hadn't thought that part through. He'd been so excited by this new information. He didn't think it was possible for Rosalie to get any more attractive to him, but she had.

"Actually," Jasper looked over at his friend. "Go with that. Catch her off gaurd. It's not much, but you need to get your foot in the door somehow."

"It's worth a shot," Edward admitted. "If its not the right path then you find another one."

Nodding, Emmett pulled out his phone and contemplated for a moment what he would say. Suddenly an idea struck, and he furiously typed out what he prayed would be the opening he needed into getting to know Rosalie.

* * *

_So I was doing some research online for a new car, and I came across your name._

Rosalie huffed, drawing the attention of her best friends. They hadn't planned on getting together tonight, but Bella had called during lunch and begged both of them to come by.

"What's up, Rose?" Alice asked as she sipped a glass of ice tea.

"He's researching cars on the internet. Who trusts the internet when they're buying a new car?" Rose said in irritation. "You never know who's giving the review. There is almost nothing you can trust."

"Maybe you could help him," Bella said as she burped Jacob. "I mean, no one knows more about cars than you do."

"That's true," Rose mumbled. She picked up her phone and quickly typed out a quick message. Then she tossed her phone to the side, planning to ignore it for the rest of the evening. "Okay, Bella. It's time to spill. Why did you want to have an emergency lunch?"

Bella plopped down on the couch and looked dejectedly at her friends. "I am in serious danger of falling hard for Edward again," she said quietly.

"That's not news sweetie," Alice looked at her friend apologetically.

"You don't understand," Bella shook her head and turned to look toward her son. "Edward took us to the zoo. And then he took the diaper bag and didn't attempt to drive his own car. And Jacob listened to him when he talked."

"Woah woah woah," Rose waved her hands trying to get her friend's attention. "Honey, you're rambling. What are you talking about."

Bella took a deep breath and tried to slow down and add detail so that her friends could keep up with her. "Early this morning, Edward showed up on my doorstep, asking if Jacob and I wanted to spend the morning with him at the zoo. It was so sweet of him to show up, and he included Jacob. He wasn't just asking me to go on a date with him. I had to test him though. Just because he was willing to spend time with my son while I was around didn't mean that he was really ready to be involved with a single mother. So while I was holding Jacob, I held the diaper bag out, and he took it without hesitation."

"Okay," Alice placed her hand on her friend's leg. "Sweetie, I'm glad that you're letting a man in. But I think you may be making too much out of this. Taking a diaper bag really isn't that big of a deal."

"But it is," Bella insisted. "He did it without hesitation, without me having to even ask him. And that's not it. When we were leaving, although I know Edward would have rather driven his car, been in control of the situation. He followed me to my car without a single complaint. I don't know if he knew about the car seat or not, but he didn't say a word, just held the door open for me so that I could place Jacob in his car seat. And when we were by the monkey cages, Edward talked to Jacob, and my son looked up at him like every word he said was vital. His little brown eyes barely blinked as he looked up at Edward."

"It's sweet," Rose agreed.

"It took me completely by surprise," Bella countered. "I wasn't expecting him at all today. And then he shows up and has to be so perfect. I wasn't ready to fight that."

Alice squeezed Bella's leg, which was still under her hand. "Maybe you should stop fighting. Edward's a great guy, and he honestly cares about you. I mean, I know he's screwed up in the past, but he really wants to make that up to you."

"But this feels like a sneak attack," Bella stood up from the couch, nervous energy making it too hard to sit still. "I mean, we made no plans, and he just happened to show up with the best way into my heart."

"As much as I don't trust Edward," Rose said begrudgingly. "I highly doubt that this was planned that way. Most likely, he just didn't want to go a full week without seeing you."

"Did he propose again?" Alice bounced happily.

"He never misses a chance," she collapsed back down onto the couch. "It was so sweet. We were in that area where they keep all the birds. Jacob was laughing and clapping his hands. I felt so happy at seeing him have fun. Edward just kissed me. And it wasn't something raunchy and passionate. It was light and sweet, and stole away my breath. And then he whispered the proposal against my lips."

"But you obviously said no again," Rose pointed to her naked finger.

"Actually, I didn't answer him," Bella chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Not really. But I didn't say yes if that's what you mean."

"Good," Rosalie nodded her approval. "He'd be getting off too easily if you said yes after only two dates."

"You act like you know that I'm eventually going to give into him," Bella got up from the couch to get another glass of tea.

Neither of her friends said a word. But they glanced at each other, each acknowledging the fact that there was no doubt of Bella's eventual surrender to her feelings.

* * *

Emmett glanced at his phone as he was changing outfits. He couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face for anything in the world when he saw that Rosalie had finally sent him a message.

_If I ever hear that you're researching cars on the internet again, you will lose any chance you have with me._

Emmett chuckled, and typed out a response, praying that he would be able to sneak into her heart, because he could see that she wasn't going to willingly open it to him. He was going to have to set up camp there and pray that she didn't kill him when she figured out that he'd gotten in.

"Emmett hurry up," Jasper practically ran into the room. "We don't have time for you to stand around smiling at your reflection."

* * *

_Well then, I'm gonna need your help. When can you come to a dealer with me?_

Rose couldn't seem to do anything besides glare at the phone. "He is such an idiot."

"Who?" Alice hid her smile behind the magazine that she'd picked up.

"Emmett," Rose huffed. "He really has absolutely no idea about cars. How is that possible."

"Give him a break, honey," Bella smiled sympathetically toward her friend. "I mean, he's not you."

Bella had decided that since Alice and Rose were already there, they might as well stick around for dinner. But if she were being honest with herself, it was because she didn't want to be left alone with her feelings for Edward. She didn't know if she'd be able to deal with them being so fresh and raw. She needed a buffer for a few more hours.

Alice laughed, "No one is you. You are one of a kind. And honestly, maybe it would be cool for you to be able to teach him something."

"No one I know knows as much about cars as you do," Bella said as she began to inspect the contents of her cupboard. She prayed that she got the position at the school, because she was going to have to go shopping soon, and she didn't want to dip further into her savings. "If you taught Emmett a few things, took him to a few of your competitions, you would finally have someone who can keep up with you. I mean, we love you. But we aren't ever going to be interested enough in your cars to talk about them."

"Has he asked you out on an official date yet?" Alice asked.

"Like she'd let him," Bella laughed. "The poor man's dying to just get a simple text from her."

"He asked me out," Rose defended, although she didn't know who she was defending at this point. "It's just he was being stupid when he did it. Why does he think that I'd go with him to a car dealership."

"Because your passion is cars," Alice snorted. "Honestly, that's the probably the smartest I've ever seen a guy be when it comes to you. Most go the chocolate and flowers route thinking that will get you into bed. What they don't realize is that the quickest way is to get you into bed is actually to get you under a BMW."

"Laugh all you want," Rosalie shook her head. "But while you get swept off your feet by roses and candies, men have to actually learn something about me."

Bella didn't point out that this was exactly what Emmett had done. She had a feeling that if Rose figured that out, she would run in the other direction. And then where would they be?

Rose picked up her phone and nearly punched a hole through the device as she tried to reign in her frustration with both her friends and the man receiving the message.

* * *

Emmett chugged an entire water bottle, looking over at Edward. "Seriously, I'm glad we're not going to be doing this soon. I need a break. It's going to kill me."

Edward laughed, "Yeah. I know that I'm dropping it for Bella, but it will be a relief when my life doesn't revolve around this job anymore."

Jasper poked his head around the corner. "You're on deck Edward."

Edward's brow furrowed. "Peter's supposed to be on deck. This should be my break."

"Sorry," Jasper winced. "Peter is indisposed at the moment. And unless you want to go check Charlotte's noisy office, I would suggest you get your butt in gear."

Huffing in irritation, Edward grabbed his next outfit and moved into the dressing room. He'd been hoping to have a few minutes to possibly call Bella. He already missed her like crazy, and couldn't wait until there was a time that they wouldn't have to be separated. Hopefully that wouldn't be too far away.

While Edward was getting ready, Emmett took advantage of his few minute break to pick up his phone. He was ecstatic to see that Rosalie had sent him something back. This was more communication than they'd had since last Saturday when she'd shown up to rip Edward a new one.

_You are nowhere near ready to go look at cars. You have too much to learn._

Emmet chuckled, wondering if Rosalie realized that she was making this all too easy for him. He knew that once he'd found something he was passionate about, he would be able to get her to spend time teaching him about it, arguing with him about it, or even, if he was lucky, working on it with him. He prayed that he could get far enough into the relationship that he would get to see her at work.

"Stop smiling," Edward groaned as he came out of the dressing room. "You're on after me, and then we switch to wait staff for a bit, so I'd suggest you get your stuff in order."

Emmett rolled her eyes at his friend before sending what he knew would be the final message for a while. He wouldn't be back here for a few hours once he was put on the floor. "Keep your pants on," Emmett grabbed his next costume and made his way to the dressing room. "And text your girl. You're starting to get crabby again."

Edward picked up his phone, contemplating it, but put it back down. He didn't want to come on too strong. He'd already spent the morning with her, and though he was dying to hear from her again, he knew that she was still fragile and likely to run in the other direction. So he would wait, until tomorrow morning.

* * *

Bella turned her phone over and over in her hand several times before finally putting it down. She was dissapointed that Emmett seemed to find the time to text Rose while Edward didn't seem to be able to. Picking up her phone again, she thought about sending him a message, but she put the phone down again before the thought had fully settle within her mind. If she contacted him so soon, he might think that she was ready to say yes, and she just wasn't.

"He's got balls," Alice giggled, pulling Bella out of her musings.

She looked up to see Alice running away from Rose, holding her phone. It was rather funny to watch because Rose was so much taller and took larger steps, which should have enabled her to overpower Alice, but Alice was so fast and was able to slip into smaller spaces between furniture. Rose jumped over the couch, falling on her stomach just as Alice's feet came into her reach. She stretched out and wrapped her hands around Alice's ankle, causing her to fall to the floor and the phone to go skittering away from her hands.

Bella, realizing her chance, ran forward and snatched the phone up, giggling the whole way there.

_Then I guess you'll just have to teach me._

"Oh dear," Bella held the phone out for Rose as she stood and tried to straighten herself out. "It would appear that Emmett and Rose are going to be spending some time together."

"It's not that big of a deal," Rose tried to sound nonchalant, but she was a bit nervous. "He needs a new car. Is it so bad for me to hope that I can save one person from car dealers? They cheat people out of their money for crappy cars every day."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Alice giggled. "But, maybe, after you finish teaching him about cars, you can move onto the bedroom where he can teach you something."

"I wish you two wouldn't talk about sex," Bella groaned as she picked up her cell phone again. "If you will remember, I won't be having any for quite a while."

"No budge on the sex before marriage?" Rose asked, seeming to honestly feel sorry for her friend.

"No," Bella sat between her friends on the couch. "And I know he's not going to. If he was adamant about it in high school when we could barely control our hormones, there's no way he's going to let it go now. And on some level, it's admirable and sweet. But I'm not a virgin anymore. I've been married, I have a child, and I want Edward. I've always wanted Edward. God, he's beautiful, and built, and it's so much worse now since the cage. He was grinding his hips and I swear I was going to die."

Alice smiled at her rambling friend while Rose pulled her head down onto her shoulder. The three of them curled up together on the couch as they waited for the oven timer to go off.

"I need to ask you a question," Rosalie said hesitantly. Bella nodded her head but made no other move or sound. "Do you think, that if you and Edward were to sleep together now, you would have him out of your system? Do you think that's all you need is a good lay."

"No," Bella's head shot up. "Why would you think that. It nearly killed me the first time he dissappeared from my life. How do you think I would respond if we slept together, actually made love, and then he were to disappear?"

"I'm just making a point," Rose said softly. "I know that this whole 'waiting till marriage' thing may seem silly right now. But if you do take him up on his proposal, having sex now won't have made such a difference. If Edward is the man that you intend to spend the rest of your life with, waiting to have sex a few months isn't something that you can really complain about, because your relationship isn't all about sex."

"I know," Bella slumped back against the couch. "Doesn't mean I don't want it any less. I mean, sometimes, he gets me so worked up, and then...nothing."

"I feel for you, babe," Alice hopped up off the couch and headed over to the kitchen, tickling Jacob on the way. The little boy giggled, reminding Bella of why she had to make sure that Edward was serious, to make sure that he wouldn't leave her again for her own good.

"Oh, you feel nothing," Rose followed Alice. "If I remember correctly, you are currently the only one of the three of us sleeping with your chosen dancer."

"You could be sleeping with yours," Alice said over her shoulder. "If you'd let him into the same room as you."

Bella shook her head and followed her friends, picking up Jacob on the way. This was why these two were her best friends.


	16. Anything She Wants

Bella fidgeted anxiously with her skirt as she looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She wanted to look good. She wanted this job. There was no doubt that she would take almost any job, but she wanted this job. She wanted to be closer to Edward. She wanted a job that would enable her to see him almost every day. She wanted a job that might enable her to begin working on her degree like she'd always wanted.

The doorbell rang and Bella nearly ran to answer it. Edward smiled from the other side. "Hey," he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," she nodded her head and nervously pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Are you sure that it won't be a problem if I bring Jacob?"

"I'll watch him while you're interviewing," Edward said seriously. "And if you get the job, we have a program where the school pays students to babysit so that the teachers don't have to find daycares."

"Are the students trustworthy?" Bella didn't like the idea of leaving Jacob with a stranger.

"Very," Edward moved past Bella and took Jacob out of the bouncer himself. She was going to work herself up until she was late if he didn't get her moving. He bounced Jacob slightly and on his hip and the little boy giggled. "We run background checks and keep them in the same building as the parents so they can go check on them intermitantly. Trust me." _ Please_.

Bella looked at the man in front of her. A strange warmth bubbling in her stomach. Edward was holding her son like it was the most naturaly thing in the world. And Jacob was actually responding to him. "Okay," she whispered. Walking to pick up her keys and purse in a daze.

Edward smiled and held the door open for Bella and watched her walk to her car. He waited for her to unlock the doors before he placed Jacob in his car seat. But there, he had trouble. Had these contraptions always been so complicated?

Bella giggled, watching Edward try to figure it out. "Let me show you," she bent down and reached into the backseat. She buckled a few things and then smiled at Edward. "Not so difficult."

"Show off," Edward muttered as he stood up. "Okay. Follow me to the school. With any luck, you'll have a job before lunch."

Nodding, Bella got into her car, nerves resurfacing.

She followed Edward to the university, and parked next to him in what appeared to be a staff parking lot. After Edward placed a visitor's pass on Bella's car, they went to the music building.

"This is my office," Edward turned on a light in a small room. "It's not much, but it's a good escape."

Bella bounced slightly as she walked around the room, hoping to keep Jacob from getting fussy. "It's so empty," she said as she looked around the room. "I mean, when I'd go to a professor's office, the shelves were always full of books and there were pictures on the desk. Papers were stacked in chaos in every corner. This is so clean."

Edward chuckled. "I guess I've never really made myself at home here. You'd probably think my apartment was the same."

"Hmmm," Bella sat on the corner of Edward's desk and looked at Edward. "So what exactly happens now?"

"Well," Edward sat in his chair so that they were facing each other. "You are going to go talk to Mrs. Cope and knock her socks off. Then you will probably start training with her as soon as tomorrow."

"Too easy, Edward." She shook her head. "I don't have that good of a shot."

"I won't argue with you, becuase you're going to believe what you want to believe." Edward stood up and took Jacob from his mother. "But you need to know that you have just as good of a shot as anyone else who might be applying for the job." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's go."

Bella took a shaky breath and let Edward take her hand and lead her to the main office.

They walked through the open door and Edward smiled at the woman in her mid to late fourties behind the desk. "Good morning, Mrs. Cope. I think I've found your new assistant."

"Edward," Mrs. Cope glanced up from her paperwork. "What are you doing with a child in your arms. Do you have a life that we don't know about?"

Edward laughed and pulled Bella up so that she was standing in front of the desk. "This is Bella Swan. She has a bachelor's in English and has experience with desk work from when she volunteered a local police department where we grew up. She's a really close friend of mine, and I would really appreciate it if you would give her a shot."

Mrs. Cope stood up and shook Bella's hand. "Why don't you have a seat dear? Edward, you may go. I'll send her back to you when we're done here."

Edward squeezed Bella's hand before leaving with her son.

"How do you know Edward?" Mrs. Cope smiled kindly at Bella. "I didn't really think that he had a lot of friends."

Bella smiled hoping that her nerves didn't show through. "We went to high school together. We just recently reconnected."

Mrs. Cope chuckled, knowing that there was more to that story, but not willing to push her too far. "I would usually ask you to submit a resume in advance, but it seems that Edward is determined to get you in here, so let's just start the interview."

"Alright," Bella rubbed her palms in what she hoped was an inconspicuous gesture. "I'd like to start by saying, I know that Edward got me this interview, but if I get the job, I want it to be because I'm the right person for it."

"That's good, because that's the only way you're getting it," Mrs. Cope said a bit more professionally. "Now, let's begin, why don't we? Edward said that you used to volunteer at the local police department. What kind of work did you do there?"

* * *

Bella went to Edward's office only to find it empty. The interview had definately gone longer than she'd planned, but it wasn't even noon yet. Where could he dissaper to.

"Excuse me miss," a girl who couldn't have been more than nineteen tapped Bella's shoulder. "Are you looking for Professor Cullen?"

"Yes," Bella felt a sense of relief at being able find Edward, and subsequently her son. "Do you know where he is?"

"He just started class," the girl pointed down the hallway. "He's in auditorium three just down that way."

"Thank you," Bella smiled and began to make her way toward class. This could be interesting. Not only had she just had a great interview where Mrs. Cope had assured her that she was currently the front runner for the position, she was also going to get to see Professor Cullen in his natural habitat.

When she got to the auditorium, she peeked through the window in the door and saw Edward with his back toward the class, writing on the board, Jacob balanced on his hip and reaching toward Edward's mane of copper curls. She slipped in to the back and took a seat, hoping that Edward wouldn't notice her. She loved to see Edward with her son, and she couldn't resist just a few more moments of the sight.

"Okay class," Edward turned back, wiping the chalk dust off on the right side of his pants. "Pull out a sheet of paper and compare these two songs. They were a part of your listening assignment so I expect you to be able to tell me who the composer was for each of them."

Edward settled himself at the piano that took up a good portion of the stage that he taught on. He sat Jacob on his knee and reached around him to rest his fingers on the proper keys.

Tears were hard to keep out of Bella's eyes as she watched Edward play. She sniffled lightly, causing a few students to turn and look at her curiously, but most went back to work. Bella watched as Jacob reached out for the keys of the piano. They were quite a distance away, but Bella could swear that she saw Jacob smile and giggle as he watched Edward's fingers, and that caused Edward to smile.

Edward felt a strange thumping of his heart as he looked down at the little boy on his lap. Jacob was reaching for the piano, several inches out of his reach, and smiling. He wanted to watch Jacob grow. He wanted to teach him how to play the piano. He wanted to be there when he learned how to ride a bike, throw a ball, lost his first tooth. When he'd first found out that Bella had a son, he wanted to be a part of the boys life. But now he wanted so much more, he wanted to be his father. It had come on so suddenly. The boy had been adorable and sweet, and obviously taken a liking to him, but it wasn't until this moment that he realized just how much Jacob would come to mean to him.

Jacob would be his son. He may not carry his genetics, but he intended to be there, to raise him, to love him. He wasn't just going to be supporting Bella in being a mother to Jacob. And the difference squeezed his heart.

He ended the song watched as Jacob's little forehead scrunched in confusion. Edward chuckled before adjusting him so that he could stand and face the class. It was then that he saw Bella sitting in the back of the class. He wasn't sure how he'd missed her in the first place. But by the look on her face, he knew that they were on the same page.

"Finish your essay. I'll give you another five minutes and then I'll take them up." Edward walked up the steps to the back of the auditorium. "Hey," he smiled down at Bella.

Bella stood and reached out for her son. Edward immediately placed him in her arms, knowing that he'd kept them apart as long as he could. "Would you mind if I sat in for the rest of your class," Bella asked almost shyly.

"You could," Edward scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrased over the thought of her watching him teach. "I think you'd be more comfortable in my office."

Shaking her head, Bella smiled and sat back down at the desk, Jacob leaning his head against his mother's chest, seemingly ready to nap after such an eventful morning.

Feeling nervous for the first time since he taught his first class, Edward made his way to the front of the auditorium. The class had not missed the interaction, as most of them had finished their writing assignment before he had finished playing the pieces. And everyone responded to this new show of emotion from Professor Cullen differently. When he'd walked into the class, most of the females had wished that they could melt in a puddle at his feet. And then Bella had walked in and it all had become too clear. The males on the other hand were happy to see that Professor Cullen seemed to be involved with someone else. It gave them less competition, because they knew if Professor Cullen were to chose one of his students, she would come to him without pause.

"Okay," Edward made his way down to the front again, taking up papers as he went. "Eyes to the front of the room."

Bella watched, mesmerised by Edward. Growing up, this was never where she thought he would be, but he fit here. She'd always imagined him becoming a doctor like his father. He'd always loved music, but there was a drive in him to make his father proud. She wondered when exactly that had changed.

Bella waited until the class had cleared and Edward had gathered up all his material before rising from the desk. Jacob hummed against her shoulder where he'd fallen asleep. Luckily, he hadn't been fussy during the class, but she wasn't willing to test her luck much longer. Jacob was bound to have a tantrum when he woke up. "I think I should head home now."

Edward sighed, his shoulders dropping in defeat. "Yeah, I guess you probably should. I guess I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Of course," she reached up and pulled his head down so that she could press a light kiss on his lips. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

Smirking, Edward shook his head, "And ruin the surprise."

"When will you people learn that I don't like surprises," Bella huffed.

Edward chuckled, "Well, this isn't a surprise," he pulled out the box from his back pocket. "But you know I have to ask. Do you want to marry me?"

"That's not a fair question." She shook her head. "That's not the question you're supposed to ask."

Edward smirked. "Will you answer it? I'm thinking this is the one I want an answer to today. I know what the other answer is."

Bella looked up into his eyes. She expected him to ask her to marry him. And it would have been fine, becuase neither of them would have been expecting a yes. But the answer to this one was not one she wanted to give. But one she would give all the same. "Yes," she finally whispered. "But that doesn't change my answer."

"I know," Edward leaned down and gave her one more chaste kiss. "But I'm glad to know that you want it too. It means that there's hope."

"Keep that hope," Bella whispered. "Don't give up on me. I can't have you give up on us again."

Edward took a shaky breath and nodded. "I'll be by tomorrow to pick you up around 6:30"

"Okay," Bella smiled and made her way out. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she did know that if she spent a moment longer with Edward, she might let slip that watching him with her son had made her realize that she was still in love with him. And she'd already given him too much today.

* * *

"Edward," Mrs. Cope knocked on the open door of Edward's office. "I wanted to speak with you for a moment."

"Sure," Edward stood and gestured toward the seat in front of his desk. "Is everything alright? You've never stopped by my office before."

"I wanted to talk to you about Bella," she sat and cautiously watched Edward. "I like her, and I know that we would work well together. She seems sweet and I like the fact that she wants to continue her educations so she would be able to relate more easily to the students who come through the office. But I need to know that whatever relationship she has with you isn't going to affect the way that she works, or stop her from working all together."

Sighing, Edward linked his fingers and leaned forward so that his elbows rested on the desk. "I love her," Edward said honestly, knowing what she wanted to hear most. "We dated in high school and I made a huge mistake of letting her go. I can promise you, that no matter what, I am determined to make sure that she gets everything that she wants. And getting a higher degree is such a major part of that. She will be here at least as long as that takes."

"You are so different," Mrs. Cope shook her head. "I never understood before, but now I think I do." She got up from her seat and walked to the door before turning back and looking at him. "I'm going to hire her. I want her to come in starting tomorrow to see what it is that I do so that when the switch happens she won't be thrown into it. I'm going to call her in a few hours. But before I do, does this girl know how serious you are about her."

"Yes," Edward smiled. "And she wants to marry me."

"Then I suggest you snatch her up before the others in the department try to get her attention." Mrs. Cope smirked as she walked out of the office.

Edward leaned back in his chair, linking his fingers behind his head. He was going to have to snatch her up. Not that he was really worried about her running off with someone else. It had taken him too long to figure out that when he and Bella were together, nothing could have torn them apart, with the exception of themselves.

There was another knock on his door, but this time it was a young man, his arms full with stacks of papers. "I'm sorry to bother you Professor Cullen, but my fraternity is doing a carnival to raise money for Autism Speaks. We're asking teachers to volunteer to be in the dunk booth. Would you be willing to do it."

"When is it?" For the first time, Edward felt like being involved.

"It's this Saturday." The boy seemed excited and Edward wondered if it was because he was considering it, or because he was the first person to show promise. "We're running it the whole day, so if there is any time that you could donate, we would really appreciate it."

"Okay," Edward nodded his head. "I can only offer you Saturday morning. Put me down for a slot."

"Thank you so much," the young man rushed into the room. "I'm leaving a couple of flyers with you. We're asking that anyone who volunteers posts it somewhere their students can see it. We'd love it if you would encourage your students to come."

"I will," Edward picked up the flyers, excited to know where he was taking Jacob and Bella Saturday


	17. New Job

Bella hadn't told Edward, but she got the feeling that he knew. He hadn't looked directly at her, but he had passed what would be her office more times than she thought necessary. Finally, Mrs. Cope sent her off to tell Edward that he needed to leave her alone so that she could work.

Secretly excited about getting to see him teach again, Bella snuck into the back of Edward's class. She was suddenly disappointed to see that everyone was packing their stuff away. "Before you leave," Edward drew the attention of the room back to himself. "I'll remind you again on Thursday, but I wanted to tell you that you all will have the chance to dunk me on Saturday morning. Kappa Kappa Sigma is hosting a carnival, and all the proceeds go to Autism Speaks. If you can dunk me, I will give you five bonus points on your next exam."

A boy near the middle of the auditorium raised his hand and waited for Edward to acknowledge him. "Do we get five points every time we dunk you?"

Edward chuckled, "Okay, yeah. We can do that. And to make it more interesting. For every student in this class who dunks me, I will add a bonus point to everyone's last test." Several students raised their hands and Edward held up his own. "With that condition, it's every student, not ever dunk. Don't push your luck."

Bella smiled just as Edward looked up at her. "That's it for today. Don't forget to listen to your cds, track 14. I will quiz you on it Thursday."

The class rose to their feet and Bella made her way down to him as the class emptied. "That was quite a generous offer you made to them, Professor Cullen."

Edward shrugged, "They have to pay for each shot that they take at me. And honestly, people get dunked so infrequently that I don't feel that I'll be giving out much extra credit."

"Your theory is flawed," Bella took a few steps closer. "What if you have the star pitcher of the school's baseball team in your class?"

Edward couldn't help but smile, "Then maybe he'll pay for 20 balls and get a hundred on my test. I don't see a downside." He reached out his hand for Bella to take. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

Bella shook her head and took his hand, not really sure why she couldn't resist. "Mrs. Cope sent me to tell you to stop stalking the office. You're making it hard to work."

"Was that what I was doing?" Edward leaned back against his desk, wrapping his arms around Bella and pulling her into his chest. He was so happy to have her here. "I don't quite recall."

Bella smirked and pushed on his chest slightly. "Professional," she admonished. "I have to get back before Mrs. Cope changes her mind about hiring me."

She pushed out of his arms and began to make her way back toward the door. Suddenly she turned around, surprising Edward. "I put you down as one of the people who I'll let the babysitters give Jacob to. If you have any spare time throughout the day, any day really, I would really appreciate it if you would go in and just play with him for a while, maybe take him out for some fresh air. I used to take him to the park every day."

Edward felt a strange pull in his heart. Sometimes, he felt that she had no idea what it was that she was giving him. She could claim that she didn't trust him not to leave and hurt them, but she trusted him with everything else, including her sons life. "I'll be sure to do that. He seemed to enjoy sitting with me at the piano."

Bella smiled, her eyes itching. She had enjoyed that too. She nodded. "Just make sure that you have him back at the babysitters or with me by four. That's when I'm going to be leaving the office."

Edward nodded, and shoved her back out the door, "Okay, now you definitely need to go. I don't think Mrs. Cope would fire you, but she definitely wouldn't be very happy with me."

* * *

"Good afternoon, Professor Cullen," a young woman that Edward seemed to find familiar glanced up from the game that she was playing with one of the children she was babysitting. "Are you here to pick up Jacob?"

"Yes," Edward tried to remember if the girl had been in his class. Surely that was the only way that he would have come across her. "I'm only going to be taking him for an hour or so. Ms. Swan wanted him to get some fresh air."

The young woman nodded. "He's been a little fussy," she made her way toward the area toward the back of the room that contained three cribs. "He seemed upset when Ms. Swan left, and he pretty much cried himself to sleep. Do you know if there's a way to settle him down? I don't want him to be uncomfortable."

Edward followed the young woman to the back and reached into the crib that she stood by, picking up a sleeping Jacob. "Do you work here often?"

Nodding, the young woman watched, enraptured by the way that Edward handled Jacob. "I work for a few hours every day."

"And what's your name?" Edward rocked Jacob gently, waking him from his slumber. The baby looked up at Edward, and then rested his head against his shoulder as if this was normal.

"Bree," the young woman said. "My name is Bree." She watched as Jacob's little fingers grasped Edward's shirt. "How are you keeping him so calm? Whenever I held him, he would cry?"

"I'm not really sure," Edward said honestly. "He'll probably get used to you. He hasn't spent much of his life away from his mother. Just being a constant in his life will probably make all the difference. Don't let one day discourage you."

Bree nodded and watched as Edward began to leave. He quickly turned, realizing that Bella was likely to try to steal time for a quick trip to visit her son. "If Ms Swan is to come by, tell her that I'm taking him to the courtyard near the upperclassmen's' dorms. I don't want her to worry."

Bree couldn't seem to do anything but nod as Edward spoke. She'd never seen a baby wake so peacefully. And she'd feared that when Jacob had woken, he would cry so loudly that Ms. Swan would come running from her office.

Edward walked out into the sunshine. Jacob scrunched up his face and turned into his shoulder so that the brightness did not reach his eyes. "Aw, come on little man. The sun's good for you. You can't spend all day holed up inside, no matter how much your mother would like that."

Jacob whimpered slightly in discontent, causing Edward to chuckle. "You know, you sound just like your mother used to. When we were in high school together, sometimes, when we were watching movies on my parents' couch, she would fall asleep on my shoulder. She looked so sweet, so peaceful. But sometimes, she would whimper my name. It squeezed at my heart." He bounced Jacob slightly. "I want her to be that comfortable with me again. Having a physical relationship is one thing, but trusting a person intimately is another."

Edward shook his head as Jacob looked up at him, watching as the sun created interesting colors in his hair. "Today, people throw their bodies around like they mean nothing, trust me, I know. I've spent a bit more than half a decade living off of the money I earn because of my body. There is little shame left in the world. But true intimacy comes from knowing one person deeply, trusting another person with your deepest self."

Taking a seat in one of the benches that surrounded the little garden in the center of the courtyard, Edward moved Jacob from his hip to sit on his lap. "Once upon a time, your mother and I had that kind of intimacy. It was one of the most intense things that I have ever experienced. Bella knew me. She knew me so deeply, and yes she still loved me. She still wanted to be with me. I never knew that type of love could exist. There were times that it seemed to even outshine the love that my parents shared."

Edward chuckled as Jacob reached out and nudged his chest, tears welling up in his eyes. "I guess it's time to take you in, little man." He glanced at his watch. "It's only been twenty minutes, but I bet you're thirsty."

Moving Jacob back to his hip, Edward began to make his way back to the music building. "I suppose we'll have to make a trip back to visit Bree. I should have seen if Bella left a diaper bag with her so that I was prepared. It's going to take some time to get good at this?" He kissed Jacob's head, surprised by how soft his curls felt beneath his lips. "You're worth it, though. You and your mother are worth every moment of time it takes me to learn how to take care of you."

"Back so soon, Professor Cullen?" Bree stood up, smuggly feeling that Edward's luck had run out and that Jacob was becoming too much of a hassle for him as well. It was hard to believe that a man who couldn't learn to smile when he was teaching something that was supposed to be his passion would be able to keep a baby entertained.

"No," Edward glanced around the room looking for the diaper bag that he'd carried at the zoo. "Did Ms. Swan bring in a bag. I forgot to grab a bottle. I'm pretty sure that little Jacob here is getting hungry."

Sighing, Bree walked toward the cubbies and pulled out Jacob's bag. She had been sure when she'd seen Jacob's red rimmed eyes that he'd become too much for Edward too. But instead, he seemed to be able to read the child's every need. She handed him the diaper bag. "You might as well take the whole thing. If you feed him, you'll probably need to change him."

"Thanks," Edward smiled at Bree, truly thankful for a little guidance. "I'm new at taking care of him by myself."

Bree didn't believe that for a moment. He was doing too well, and Jacob was too attached to him. "If Ms. Swan comes by, where should I tell her to go?"

"My normal class," Edward nodded toward Bree before heading out of the room.

He was glad to see that no one was using the auditorium, because he wanted to use the piano. Yesterday, when he'd played with Jacob on his lap, he felt so connected to him. It was what he imagined it must be like to bond with one's son.

He sat down on the piano bench, and pulled out a bottle from the diaper bag. But this, he didn't know how to do. "Okay, let's see if we can figure this out." He placed the bottle at Jacob's lips, and at first, he took it into his mouth and sucked greedily. But then he shook his head and pushed the bottle away in disgust.

Edward's brow furrowed. "What did I do wrong, little man? You're hungry, right?"

"You have to warm it up," Bella said as she made her way down the stairs from the back of the auditorium. Edward hadn't even heard her come in. "I only recently weaned him, so he's still used to warm milk. And that's cold because I keep ice packs in the bag so that the milk doesn't spoil."

"Huh," Edward looked down at the bottle, disappointed that he'd failed.

Bella giggled, and reached down to pluck her son from Edward's arms. "There's no need to look like I killed your puppy. It's okay if it takes you a little while to learn these things. It took me a while."

"Okay," Edward stood up slowly. "Well, could you show me?"

"Tonight," Bella rocked Jacob gently. He looked so content. "Before we drop him off at Angela and Ben's I'll show you how to prepare his bottle."

* * *

"That is sweet," Rosalie said begrudgingly.

"It's adorable," Alice countered. "I can't believe he's doing so well with Jacob."

"What are you two still doing here?" Bella asked as she applied a layer of lip gloss. "I still have to finish getting ready."

"You've been ready for an hour," Rose countered. "And we're here because you finally got a job and have yet to tell us about it. Instead, you've spent the last three hours telling us about Edward and how he got you your job, or how he kept walking by your office, or how well he took care of Jacob. You have yet to tell us anything about your job.

"Although I agree," Alice bounced excitedly, "I think we should talk about your day with Emmett first."

Bella spun from the mirror quickly. "Are you telling me that you two let me go on and on when there was something more pressing to talk about."

"I think you moving on with your life is pretty pressing," Rosalie said seriously.

"Edward isn't going to give up trying," Alice rolled her eyes. "We will have years to come about Bella gushing over how wonderful he is. But you could actually push Emmett away if you try hard enough. And I want to know how today went."

Bella nodded her agreement. She couldn't believe that Rose hadn't told her.

"We just went to look at cars," Rose said, trying to get the attention off of herself. "It's really not that big of a deal."

"Are you kidding me," Bella dropped the mascarra onto her counter and went to sit on the bed with her friends. "This is a big fucking deal. Cars are your 'thing', and Emmett picked that out immediately. The fact that you did anything with him involving cars is huge. You should be able to admit that at least to yourself."

"It can't be a big deal," Rose shook her head slowly. "Sure, he's sweet, but he's still a man. And any man has the tools to hurt me. And I don't want him to be able to hurt me."

"I can't pretend to understand what you're dealing with," Bella placed her hand gently on Rose's knee. "Because I will never be able to understand what happened between you and Royce. But I know what it's like not to want to give yourself to someone because you know that they can hurt you worse than anyone else. I have loved Edward all my life. No matter what I do or where I go, I will never find a person who holds so much of my heart, never find a person who can take everything away from me. But sometimes, their worth the jump. I'm not saying that you need to give everything to Emmett now, but you should at least give him the chance to prove himself to you."

Rose patted her friend's hand but didn't say anything. She wanted to be able to give Emmett a chance, but she wasn't sure that she could ever be the type of woman who depended on a man again. The scars were too deep.

When Bella realized that she wasn't going to be able to convince her friend farther tonight, she shooed both of them away so that she could finish getting ready.


	18. Reach for the Stars

"Dude, I've never met such a sexy woman before," Emmett's voice filled Edward's car. He'd wanted to meet up with everyone for a beer at his place, but Edward and Jasper both had been insistent on getting their one night off alone with their girls. "You should have seen her talking to the dealers. I thought they were going to shit in their pants when they realized just how far out of their depth they were."

"I'm sure that was extremely attractive," Edward shook his head. "Did you at least buy a car?"

"Nah," Emmett sounded smug. "You must think I'm crazy if I would give her a chance to get away so quickly. She's kind of skittish. If I give her such an easy out, we'll never get anywhere."

"You're probably right," Jasper's voice filtered in. Edward could just barely hear the sound of a door opening and closing from one of the lines. "Alice just got here. I've gotta go."

"Talk to you later," Edward said before the line disconnected. "I'm nearly to Bella's, Emmett. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"Yeah," Emmett sounded a little bummed out, quite the opposite of what he'd been only moments ago. Edward was sure that it was simply because he couldn't yet spend so much time with Rose. "Guess we gotta train the new recruits."

"It won't be too much longer," Edward said gleefully. He was so excited about the idea of not being restricted to Saturday lunch dates and Tuesday dates with Bella. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. "Honestly, I'm out of there in a few weeks no matter what. I need to start making plans to take Bella home for Spring Break."

"Yeah, yeah," he could hear Emmett rolling his eyes. "Happily Ever After just around the corner for Edward."

"Hopefully," Edward agreed. "Look, she's giving you a shot. And you're clearly on the right track because I get the feeling that she wouldn't have gone with you to the dealership if she didn't want to. So just keep with it. But make sure that you try to learn more about her. Because, while this was your foot in the door, you can't talk about cars forever. Eventually, you're going to have to find out about her life."

"Get's his girl back and thinks that he can solve all the relationship problems in the world." Emmett chuckled. "Go on, I can hear that you've turned your car off. You're gonna get all mushy on me if you don't see your girl in the next five seconds."

A smile split Edward's face. "See you tomorrow, Em."

They hung up and Edward checked his hair in the mirror before getting out of the car. It was a mess, and he really didn't know why he bothered.

He practically bounded up the steps, jittery with the idea of seeing Bella again. He knocked and shoved his hands in his pockets. He was more than a little surprised to Rose opening the door.

Glancing behind her, Rose stepped out and shut the door behind her. "You're doing well so far." She crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not willing to let Edward in until she'd said her piece. "I'm actually really surprised. I expected you to screw up by now."

"I may screw up," Edward nodded. "I'm only human. But I'm not letting her go again."

"The job was smart," she admitted. "She needed a reason to stay. She was going to have to go live with her father again if we didn't find her a job, because there was no way that she would have accepted living off of one of us. Even you."

"I want her to be here," Edward admitted without trouble. "But if she'd wanted to go home because she couldn't find a way to support herself here, I would have followed her. But she'll be happier here because she has you and Alice. So I'm glad that she got a job here."

"But there's one thing that I really need to know," Rose stepped forward, hoping to intimidate Edward, but he had no intention of backing up. "Do you really care so much about Jacob, or is that just a ploy to get into her heart? Because if you get her, you get him too, and I'm not going to accept you messing up his life anymore than I'll put up with you messing with hers."

"Jacob is a part of Bella," Edward said simply. "That's enough of a reason for me to care about him and want him to be a part of my life. But I would be lying if I didn't feel connected to him. I enjoy trying to take care of him. I like knowing that he wants me to be around, that he isn't upset by my presence. And when" he leveled a stare at Rosalie to make sure that she was listening, "_when_ I get Bella to marry me, I will adopt Jacob and raise him as my own."

Rose nodded before turning back around and opening the door just as Bella was descending the stairs, Jacob on her hip. "Rose, why are you two standing out on the porch? You know I prefer for you to interrogate Edward inside the house." She walked up to Edward and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey, so I'm gonna run over to Angela's and then we can head out."

"I thought you were going to teach me how to warm up his bottle," Edward's brow furrowed. He'd been so disappointed in his inability to feed Jacob that he'd been waiting hours for this lesson.

"When we get back," she nodded. "He's not hungry right now."

On her way out the door, Bella bumped her hip against Rose's, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Where else would we be?"Rose shrugged and smiled at her friend. "Alice always wants a full report."

"Good," she smiled. "But for now you need to get home."

Rose shook her head as she watched her friend leave. Then she turned back to Edward. "We're trusting you with precious cargo. I'll admit that you've done well so far. Don't screw up."

Before she could leave, Edward reached out and touched her shoulder. He felt her stiffen beneath his hand. "Don't push Emmett away," he said softly. "I know that you like him. He's doing everything that he can. I've never seen him like this before. And I really don't want to see him hurt."

"I'll keep that in mind," she nodded over her shoulder at him before slipping from beneath his hand and leaving the house.

"Hey," Bella slipped in a few minutes later. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Edward hadn't moved from the spot he'd been in when Rose had left. There had been something in her eyes, something that he'd never seen before. He couldn't even begin to imagine what had happened that had made Rosalie the way she was, and he got the feeling that Emmett had a long road ahead of him if he was serious about her.

"Edward, are you okay?" Bella stepped forward.

"Yeah, sorry," he shook his head. "I was just trying to figure out what why Rosalie is Rosalie."

Bella smiled sadly, "I really can't tell you that. I'll just tell you that someone really hurt her once. Well, a couple of someones, but one person more than the other. And it takes a lot for her to trust people."

"I just wish that I could help Emmett," Edward shrugged on shoulder. "I get a bad feeling that she's not going to let him in."

"We're working on it," Bella tugged on his hand as she grabbed her coat from the wall. "I think that Emmett's a great guy and could be perfect for her, it's just going to take some time. But do you really want to talk about them right now?"

"No," Edward smiled and let her pull him from the house and down to his car.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked excitedly. She wasn't exactly sure what had changed in her, but she knew that she was slowly slipping back into the person that she'd once been with him. She got a strange feeling that it wouldn't take much before she'd be begging him to split a sunday with her.

"I can't tell you that," Edward smirked as he pulled out of the driveway. He knew that a surprise was the quickest way to get Bella antsy.

"Edward," she whined. "We're going to be there any minute. There's no reason to keep it from me."

"Actually," Edward 's cheek was starting to hurt from how hard he was smirking, "I think that's all the more reason to keep it a secret. You can wait a few more minutes."

Bella huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She turned to look out the window, refusing to glance in Edward's direction, knowing that she was likely to forgive him just by looking at his profile.

Edward shook his head in amusement as he pulled into a parking space. Bella's brow furrowed, "What are we doing at the school?"

"I called in a favor," Edward reached into the back and handed Bella what appeared to be a picnic basket. "Hold on to that for a second."

Then he got out and ran around to help her out of the car. "What are we doing?"

"Couldn't you hold on to find out for just a few more minutes," Edward chuckled. "I promise you won't have to wait that much longer."

"You've known me for a long time Edward," Bella glared up at him. "You know how much I hate surprises."

"Yes," Edward admitted. "But you also know just how much I love surprising you. I guess this is just one of those things that you'll have to compromise on."

Bella rolled her eyes. She knew that there was nothing that she could do to sway Edward on this point. She'd been trying to get him to stop the surprises since their first date back in high school. But she couldn't let him win, at least she could admit that he'd won.

She was more than a little intrigued when he pulled her toward the astronomy rather than the music building. Her first guess when they'd gotten to the school was that he was going to do something with the piano. Maybe finally give her that lesson that he'd promised her when they were teens, or playing her a piece that he'd written. But the astronomy building threw her for a loop.

Pulling her into a dark room, he fumbled for along the wall until he came across a switch that turned on a low light. "Okay, we're here, what are we doing?" Bella couldn't stand it anymore.

"I got us the telescope all to ourselves for a few hours," Edward took the basket from her and began to lay out what he'd brought. "It wasn't easy. The students often come in here to do their homework."

"Did you charm what you wanted out of the poor, unsuspecting, older teacher?" Bella giggled.

"Not exactly," Edward hedged. "He wasn't really old."

Bella burst out in a fit of giggles. "You flirted with a gay man for our date."

"It wasn't too bad," Edward shrugged. "Sometimes we get gay men who come into the club. We have to treat them just as well as we treat any of the other women. As long as men don't come in heavin' over the fact that their girls are inside, we have no reason to keep them out."

"So what did you pack?" Bella looked out at the containers that Edward was beginning to open.

"A couple of ham sandwiches, fruit salad, and a few cans of soda. It's not much, but I really can't cook, so that's probably for the best."

They sat and ate quickly. Bella was anxious to actually look up at the stars. She'd never looked through a telescope, and the university was very proud of theirs.

"Slow down," Edward chuckled. "You are going choke if you don't stop to chew your food."

"I want to look through the telescope," Bella said between bites.

Edward smiled, he wasn't sure that Bella would get so excited about this kind of thing, but he was glad that she did. Some people would have been disappointed.

"Okay, okay," Edward placed his hand on hers trying to stop her from shoving more food into her mouth. "I promise that the stars are still going to be there when we've finished."

"Edward," Bella whined.

Edward sighed and helped her up, leaving the fruit salad completely untouched. They could get back to it later. Bella was obviously in a hurry. He pulled Bella over and showed her how to use the telescope before stepping back and letting her have her fun.

"God, it's so beautiful," she whispered in wonder. "What exactly am I looking at?"

Edward glanced down and toed the ground, feeling oddly shy. "Well, I had him turn it so that you'd be looking at the stars you would see from our meadow."

Bella felt the burn of tears behind her eyes. Turning, she looked up at him, "Why do you have to be so sweet?" she asked, not really meaning to say it out loud.

"I love you, Bella." Edward stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her waist. "I have loved you for so long. If I hadn't been so stupid in high school, I would have proposed to you under those very stars."

Bella buried her face in his chest and tried to hold in the words. It was too early. She wasn't ready to say them, but they slipped through her lips without her permission. "I love you too, Edward."

Edward felt the smile stretch across his face. "Then marry me. I love you and you love me. We would be so happy together. "

Bella shook his head, "Don't you dare pull that ring out. We're not there, yet?"

"But we will be," Edward said against her hair. "You may not be ready to admit it, but we were always meant to be together."

Bella prayed that he was right, because she was beginning to see a life with him. He'd gotten her a job, provided her with the ability to take care of her son, and was being so wonderful with both of them.

* * *

"You two have really got to learn to stay out longer," Angela crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against her doorjamb. She didn't want to let them in. How was Bella supposed to realize that this was the man that she was supposed to spend her life with when she didn't spend more than a couple of hours alone in his presence.

"It's my fault this time, Ang," Edward said, making Ben stand up from his chair in the living room. He wasn't sure yet if he liked the idea of Edward becoming so familiar with his wife. He seemed okay, but then again, James had seemed okay the first time they'd met him as well. "I rented out a space, but I could only get it for an hour and a half."

"Rented out a space?" Angela tilted her head to the side, intrigued by what Edward considered a date. "What exactly did you two do?"

"He took me to the astronomy building on campus," Bella squeezed Edward's hand, which she hadn't been able to let go of since he'd told her about the stars that he'd chosen for her to look at. "It was really sweet. I've never looked through a telescope before. And I haven't seen the stars so clearly since I moved out of my father's house."

Angela nodded. "Okay," she moved out of the way. "Run up and get your child. I only got him to sleep a few moments ago."

Bella practically skipped up the stairs to get her son. "Keep her away longer next time," Angela said as she ushered Edward in and closed the door. "You only get her to yourself once a week. I mean, I know that Jacob is a big part of who she is, and I think it's amazing that you are so accepting of that, but it doesn't change the fact that she needs some adult time."

"And the only way I'll get that is if I marry him," Bella said as she came down the stairs. "You need to be a bit more sneaky if you want to talk about me to him," Bella smirked and tiptoed up so that she could kiss Angela's cheek. "Maybe you should take lessons from Rose. I mean, she's been sneaking around to talk to him, and I honestly don't know exactly what she's been saying."

"Yeah, well, I want you to hear what I have to say," Angela said as she walked them back to the door. "You need to spend some more time alone with Edward. Stop rushing home when you known that Jacob is perfectly safe with us."

Bella just rolled her eyes. There was nothing that she could say to change her friend's mind, and she was in too good of a mind to fight her about it.

* * *

"Jacob's not going to be hungry yet, but I do still want to give you that lesson," Bella said as she unlocked the door. "So maybe you could stick around, have a glass of wine."

"I'd love that," Edward said as he shut the door behind him.

"What if you stayed longer than that?" Bella asked quietly. "What if you spent the night?"

"You know I'm not going to change my mind, Bella," Edward said almost sounding disappointed. "I've waited a long time, and I'm not going to do that until we get married."

Bella bit the inside of her cheek. He was so sure of himself. "I know that, Edward. Why do you think I didn't jump you in the astronomy building?"

Edward closed his eyes and breathed through his nose. God, that might have brought him to his knees. Having her tell him that she loved and then throwing herself at him. Yeah, that might have broken his will, but he wasn't going to let her know that. She might take advantage of it. This was his last hold out to try to get her to marry him. If they had jumped into bed that first night, she would have run in the other direction, he was sure of it.

"I just want you to spend the night, Edward," Bella sat on the couch, Jacob cooing sleepily against her shoulder. "Things like that don't always have to be about sex. When we dated in high school, we used to pass out on the couch if we watched a late movie. It was nice for you just to hold me sometimes."

Edward considered that. "I want to," he admitted. "I'd really like to be able to sleep with you in my arms. I'm just really afraid that if we start something like this, I'll never be able to give it up."

"You wouldn't have to," Bella said in a whisper.


	19. Fair Saturday

AN: Sorry guys. I took a creative writing class this semester, and it was impossible for me to write this story and work on all my stories for the class. I'm just not that good. But, I'm going to try really hard to finish this story over the summer. Hang with me for just a bit longer. Thanks.

* * *

Edward shivered slightly as the wind whipped up around his ankles. He'd only been sitting up on the block for a few moments, but he quickly figured out why he was the only professor to agree to the morning shift. The sun hadn't come out this morning. It might decide to come out later in the day, but he was likely to be soaked through and cold before that happened.

Glancing up, Edward saw the reason that everything was going to be okay. Bella was standing a good distance away, bouncing a grumpy Jacob and pointing toward Edward himself, trying to cheer up the fussy little boy. He smiled, they were here because of him, to be with him. And it made all of this worth it.

"Professor Cullen," the young man who had enlisted him stood near the edge of the tub. "I've got your class roster here. I'll keep up with who tries and who actually dunks you from your class. And thank you so much for doing this. The dunking booth might be the most popular with students trying to dunk you."

Edward chuckled. "Well, it's not my ideal way of spending a Saturday morning, but I'm willing to help out a good cause. Just don't forgot that I have to be out of here by noon."

"No problem," the young man glanced around, making sure that everything was set up. "We were able to get one of the chemistry professors for this afternoon. I'm really sorry that you have to be in the booth all morning." He looked up appearing truly sorry. "I know that you probably would have rather spent time with your family. I hate that you dragged them all the way here just for them to watch you sit here all morning."

"Don't worry about it." Edward smiled. His heart began to sing when he heard the young man refer to Bella and Jacob as his family. "She loves that I'm doing this. It probably reminds her of the silly stuff that we did as teenagers."

"High school sweethearts?" the young man smiled.

It was strange for Edward to talk to a student this way. "Yeah," but he couldn't stop his smile all the same.

"Well you have a beautiful family," the young man's voice sounded wistful. Edward couldn't help but wonder if he'd recently lost his love or if he was just ready to find the person he was going to spend the rest of his life with. "They're going to start selling tickets here in five minutes. I need to run around and check to make sure that things are still running smoothly before we get started. And then I'll be back to make sure that your students get their fair credit."

Edward nodded, but his eyes were still on Bella and Jacob. It appeared that Mrs. Cope had made an appearance, dragging her husband along with her. And Bella was laughing as Jacob sulked on her shoulder.

He wanted to call out to her, to get her closer. It was a bit disappointing that he wasn't going to get to go on their usual 'family date' this morning. He'd originally thought that he would spend an hour in the booth for an hour or so, and then he'd get to enjoy the rest of the booths with Bella and Jacob. But he'd made a commitment. And the more money that he could raise, the better.

"Good morning, Edward," Mrs. Cope had somehow snuck up on him when he was sulking over the lost opportunity. "I've got to say, I'm a bit surprised that you volunteered for this. It isn't usually your thing."

"I couldn't resist a good cause," Edward shrugged.

"Don't let him fool you," Bella stepped closer, too close to the trigger for his liking. "He enjoys being the center of attention. When we were in high school, he would have jumped at the chance to do something like this."

"I wasn't so bad, was I?" Edward crossed his arms over his chest. He might have looked affronted if not for the shiver that ran through him as another particularly strong wind whipped around them.

"Psh, you were worse." Bella glanced around, making sure that there were plenty of towels. He didn't need to get sick. "I couldn't stand you when I first met you. Or do you not remember?"

"You too are so cute," Mrs. Cope shook her head and chuckled. "And I'm glad that you're doing this Edward. It's going to pull in a lot of students."

"I can't imagine why," Edward mumbled. With the exception of his current students, he couldn't understand who would

Students began to close in on them. Clearly the ticket sales had begun. "Wow," Bella's eyes grew wide as a large line formed in front of Edward. "Jacob and I are going to stand over here," she nodded behind her. "I don't want him to get splashed if one of your students ends up dunking you."

Edward nodded He wanted to convince her to walk around, enjoy some of the other booths, but there was a selfish part of him that didn't want her out of his sight. Maybe a little later, he'd give her some money and force her to use it, reminding her that all the proceeds were going to Autism Speaks. But right now, he wanted her to stick around.

"You've made a real change in him," Mrs. Cope smiled as she tugged her son to stand with her soon to be assistant. "It wasn't too long ago that he was frightening all of his students."

"I have a hard time believing that," Bella smiled as a dejected girl walked to the back of the line after lobbing her three balls unsuccessfully. She wondered how many times the girl would try before giving up. It seemed unlikely that she'd actually end up dropping Edward. Even if she was able to hit the target, it would take a bit more force than she had to get the board to release.

"I imagine you would," Mrs. Cope smiled up at her husband. "I can pinpoint down to the three days when Edward found Bella again. One day, out of nowhere, he was smiling. And then a few weeks later, he was bringing her in, asking for a job. I don't think she realizes just how much of an affect she has on him."

"Women rarely do," Mr. Cope leaned down and kissed the top of his wife's head.

Bella felt a fluttering in her stomach as she tried not to watch the older couple standing next to her. She wondered if she and Edward could ever be like that. There had never been a chance with James. She'd known from the beginning that they would never have that kind of intimacy. Maybe she'd never really wanted it with him. But she definitely wanted it with Edward.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Cope forced Bella's attention back to the booth just as Edward sliced through the water.

As he came up, there was so much shock on his face that Bella couldn't help but laugh. She had to work hard to remain completely upright, because she didn't want to chance Jacob falling. But it was just so funny. Edward clearly hadn't been expecting that. And glancing at the student, Bella understood why. The poor boy looked like he was going to die of shame as all attention turned on him. He ducked his head pushed his glasses up his nose. A man with a clipboard ran up to him to get his information as Edward climbed out of the tub and tried to dry off as much as possible. He really didn't think that he would get dunked so soon. He wondered if there was a coffee or hot chocolate stand somewhere close that Bella could run to for him. He had to be in work, and Charlotte might kill him if he walked in sneezing.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Cullen." The boy said as he got closer. "I didn't think that would actually work."

"Don't apologize," Edward snorted. "You did a good job. I'm assuming you're in my class."

"Yeah," he nodded as best he could with his face still down. "But I didn't need the extra credit. I always come out for this event."

"Are you in this fraternity?" the idea didn't exactly fit. While Edward knew that stereotypes were pretty much bullshit, they usually had a base somewhere.

"No," the boy said confirming his suspicion. "My cousin is autistic." Suddenly, the boy looked up, finally showing a bit of courage. "Thank you for volunteering. I know that it may just seem like one morning, but you gave a lot of students a reason to show up and spend money for a cause that really means something to me."

"I'm glad that I was able to do something," Edward felt something. He wasn't exactly sure what it was. It felt a little like guilt, and a lot like being grateful. It was strange. "I wish that there was more that I could do."

"Every little bit helps," the young man shrugged and walked away.

Edward glanced over at Jacob and Bella. Jacob seemed to be fussy this morning. It probably hadn't been a good idea for him to force them to come out on such a cold morning.

Bella made her way over to him, seeming to try to soothe Jacob as he went. "See, there's nothing wrong. He's just a little wet from the bath."

"What's the matter little man?" Edward took a step toward them, but stopped himself from reaching out for Jacob. "Maybe you guys should go home. It doesn't look like Jacob is having a good time."

"Professor Cullen," the young man hold the clipboard approached them. "I don't want to rush you, but the line is getting longer."

Bella nodded, "I'm going to take him home. Call me when you're done tonight, okay?"

Edward nodded and smiled as Bella reached up to kiss him on the cheek. As he watched her walk away, he knew that it was going to be a long day without her.

* * *

"There you go," Bella snapped on a onesie that Jacob could take a nap in. He hadn't stopped fussing until they'd gotten in the house. And even then, it had been clear that he hadn't been happy. She hoped that a little extra rest would be enough to get him out of his glum mood. "Just an hour or so, honey. We still have to run to the grocery store."

Satisfied when Jacob's eyes began to drift close, Bella grabbed the baby monitor and clipped it to her jeans. She wanted to get the house in order while she had time. She used to keep it spotless during the day, before she had a job. It was the first time that a messy house had ever made her smile.

Starting in the kitchen, Bella worked on the dishes. There were a couple of pots that had been soaking for more than a day. She knew that she was having to be more on top of things. Ten minutes a night was really all she needed to put forward. Shrugging, she placed the dishes on the rack and moved on to the living room. There wasn't much to do there besides a quick wipe down and a run with the vacuum.

Finally, she made her way to the bedroom. Edward had a pile of clothes stacked on her dresser. Shaking her head, she picked up the stack and began to place them on empty hangers. He was a professor, after all. It would do him no good to stand in front of his classes looking all rumpled.

As she was hanging one of his button up shirts, her phone rang. Bella grabbed it quickly, not wanting to wake Jacob so suddenly from his nap. It would take her hours to get him to calm down. "Hello?"

"Bella?" A female voice that she recognized all too well was on the other line. "Bella, it's been a while. Why haven't you called me?"

"Hi mom," Bell sighed, slumping down to sit on the bed. "I'm sorry, it's been really busy around here."

"Really?" her mom sounded intrigued. "You sound better, sweetie. I didn't think you'd take so well to being divorced."

"The girls have been helping me a lot." Bella hesitated. There was a part of her that wanted to tell her mom. Edward had become such a big part of her life. And if things kept moving in the same direction, he would quickly become a permanent fixture. But she was afraid that as soon as she told her, her mother would go on and on about how this was the time for Bella to find herself rather than throwing herself into a new relationship. "And I got a job."

"A job? Really?" Renee sounded shocked. "What do you do?"

"I work in the office of the music school." Bella stood up and began to hang up Edward's clothes again. "It's not forever, but it's a job that will keep us going until I get through school."

"You're going back to school?" Renee sounded a little like she was going to cry. "I am so proud of you, baby. You are finally going after your dreams."

"Yeah," Bella stepped back from her closet, liking Edward's clothes next to hers. "There's something else, mom."

"What is it, baby?" Renee was so happy that her daughter was finally getting on with her life. She'd been afraid that Bella was going to use Jacob as an excuse to never go back to school.

"Do you remember Edward?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"Vaguely," Renee answered. "I never met him, right? He was the one who broke your heart right out of high school."

"Yeah, that's him," Bella sighed. It didn't sound like this was going in a good direction.

There was a pause, "What made you bring him up?"

"Well," taking a deep breath, the words rushed out of her mouth. "He and I are kind of back together."

There was another long pause. Finally, her mother spoke, "I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. But I am going to ask you to be careful. I don't want to see you hurt again."

"I know, mom. I am being careful," she ran her fingers along Edward's sleeve, feeling tears itching behind her eyes. "It's not just me that I have to worry about this time."

"Have you talked to your father about his yet?" Renee asked. Charlie had been there for the initial impact. He'd seen her go from being a teenager in love to having her heart broken as if a person that she loved had died. Renee hadn't seen it first hand, but what Charlie had told her had torn her apart.

"Not yet," Bella admitted, feeling like lead had been dropped into her stomach. How was she going to explain things to her father? She sure as hell couldn't tell him what had really happened. The idea of Edward and Bella practically dry humping in the cage would either send Charlie into an early grave or to his shotgun.

"You're going to have to tell him, Bella." Her mother said seriously. "Your father deserves to know if this man is back in your life."

"I'll tell him, mom. Don't worry," Bella hated feeling like she was being scolded. "Just as soon as I know where this is going, I'll tell him. There's no reason to stress him if Edward is just going to run again." Even the idea of it caused her chest to ache.

They talked for another half hour. Bella told her mother about her new job, updated her on Jacob and, after much prodding, went into more detail about how Edward was going about wooing her and proving that he was planning on sticking around this time. And in return, Renee told her daughter about Phil's latest job. He was working with little league.

"Oh," Renee almost sounded sad. "Sometimes I wish that I could give Phil a child. You should see him with all these kids. He's so good with them. He'd make such a good dad."

"Mom," Bella shook her head. "Phil loves you. You and I both know that he would rather have you than a child. Besides, with all those kids, I'm sure that he's ecstatic to come home and have you all to himself."

"I'm glad that you're doing better, sweetheart." Renee sighed. "I suppose that I should be thankful to Edward. It sounds like he's really doing his best to make you happy. It sounds like he really loves you."

"I want to believe he does," Bella said honestly. "I want to believe that he really loves me and wants to be a part of Jacob's life."

"Well, bring him here soon," Renee said. "I would like to meet him."

"Maybe you and Phil could come here," Bella didn't know if there was any time that she and Edward would be able to get down to Florida. She didn't know when he was getting out of the club, and she didn't want to make a promise to her mother that they'd be there soon until Edward was only working one job. "I have a spare bedroom. And you haven't been out here since Jacob was born."

"We'll look into it," there was shuffling on Renee's end of the line. "Phil just got home, so I'm gonna go. Don't let so much time go before you call me next time, okay Bella?"

"Okay mom," Bella actually felt better after talking to her mother. It wasn't that she didn't love her mom. She did, she really did. It was just that her mother wasn't the person that she went to with her problems. Her mother cared for her, but she was unable to understand what she'd gone through. She wasn't sure that her mother had ever really gotten her heart broken or had her life turned upside down. She'd always picked up her life and moved before anything could change that was out of her control.

Before moving on to cleaning the bathroom, Bella went to check on Jacob. She rubbed his back softly. "We're gonna be okay," she whispered.


	20. End of The Beginning

Emmett knocked timidly at Rose's door. She'd been reluctant to see him since their trip to the dealership. It had actually been a little more than a week, and she'd finally called him, telling him that they needed to talk about something.

"Hey," she said softly as she opened the door. He was more than a little shocked by her greeting. He'd never seen her so meek. She'd always seemed like such a fireball. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yeah," Emmett stepped forward as she stepped back. Who was this woman who was replacing the one that he had been falling so hard for? This definitely wasn't the Rosalie who had the car dealers trembling last week.

"There are some things that you should know about me," Rose said taking a deep breath and forcing her spine to straighten. She didn't want to appear weak. Every time she thought about Royce, though, it caused her to slip back down that path.

"What is it?" Emmett sat on the couch, hoping that she would sit next to him to talk about whatever it was.

But she couldn't do that. She sat in the chair cattycorner to him. "There is a lot that you don't know about me, Emmett. Mostly because I really didn't want you to know it about me."

"You can tell me anything," he leaned forward, hoping to appear open.

"I don't do relationships, Emmett," she looked into his eyes, hoping to appear more in charge of the situation. "I haven't done relationships for a really long time. Because people get hurt in relationships."

"They don't have to," Emmett scooted forward a bit more.

But Rose held her hands up to stop him. "I need to get through this. If you start to talk, I'll never get this out, and you're the first guy in a really long time that I've wanted to try with. So that means that you need to know this."

Emmett sat back in his seat and waited for her to continue. He didn't have the slightest idea of what it was that he was going to find out, but he knew that, outside of finding out that she was actually a man, this wasn't going to change anything. Rosalie was the most impressive woman that he'd ever known. And he had no intention of letting go of her.

"When I was in college, I was dating this guy named Royce King. I thought he was perfect." She tried so hard to keep eye contact with Emmett. "He came from what is considered 'old money' and he was far from unattractive. When he took interest in me, there just wasn't anything I wasn't willing to do to become who he wanted."

Emmett remained as still and as calm as he could. He didn't particularly want to hear anything about former relationships. The idea of other men touching Rosalie was not something that he was comfortable with. But he listened, knowing that he may finally be getting to her, getting her to let him in.

"We dated for three years. I thought it was my fairy tale come true. I was going to get the perfect life, with the beautiful babies and everything." Rose finally looked down, finally unable to handle her own weaknesses. "But I was so wrong. Royce did plan to propose to me. He intended to make me his wife, but only in name. Only because I was acceptable to his parents. Only because I would look pretty on his arm when we went to society events."

She scratched her nose, trying not to cry. "It was the ultimate betrayal when I discovered who he was really in love with. It was my best friend, the girl I had roomed with my freshman year. I actually caught them in his bed one night. I suppose it wouldn't have hurt so bad if it had been anyone else. But they had been together before we even got to college. His parents hadn't accepted her, so they had found a cover. They found me. Vera actually chose me and then became friends with me." She shook her head, "I can't understand what they did, because I always thought that he loved me. He lied to me, she lied to me."

"It was screwed up," Emmett scooted forward again. "Rosalie, something was seriously wrong with those people. Both of them. Royce for not realizing that there's not a more perfect woman in the world than you. And Vera, well that was just kind of sick, wasn't it?"

Rose choked on a laugh. "I have a really hard time trusting people," she admitted. "My parents had been disappointed that I'd run from such an advantageous marriage. My parents had come into their own wealth, but the name Hale doesn't carry near as much weight as King. And when I told them about the whole situation, my father disowned me for not thinking about the family and what good it would have done us."

"There have only been two people who I've let in since all of that happened. The first was Alice." Rose shook her head. "The pixie was standing in front of my house with her car door open when my parents shoved me out the door without so much as a suitcase. She just stood there, 'Don't ask, just get in. You're going to need me.' If I had been thinking clearly, I never would have gotten in that car. But I'm thankful every day that I did. Alice and her parents were the only people who stuck with me. Even though Alice's parents didn't have much money, they supported me through my last year of college, just because Alice told them to. Whenever Alice tells you something, there's not much use in going against her. She's always right."

Rose finally looked back up at Emmett. "That's why I'm taking this chance. I'm betting on Alice, which means that I'm willing to bet on you."

"What's Bella's story? Why did you let her in?" Emmett asked quietly.

Rose smiled, "Are you snooping for Edward, or are you honestly curious?"

Emmett shook his head, "Edward doesn't need my help. He and Bella are supposed to be together. They'll figure that out on their own. You just said that there were only two people that you'd let in, I only assumed that the other one was Bella."

"It is," Rose admitted. "I suppose that was a sense of kinmanship. I felt a connection to her when I saw how awful that husband of hers treated her."

"I want to be one of those people that you let in," Emmett said after a few moments. "I know that you have to have men coming at you from every direction, but I want you to give me a chance. I really think that you and I could really have something amazing."

"I want to believe that. But you have to understand how difficult this will be for me." She stood and went to sit beside him on the couch. "I need you to accept that I'm going to try, but that I'm going to get scared sometimes."

"Just tell me when you're scared," Emmett took her hands gently in his. "Talk to me, let me in."

Rose nodded, leaning forward she pressed her lips to his softly, giving into her desire for him for the first time.

* * *

"I'm done with the club at the end of the week," Edward said as he and Bella enjoyed their lunch.

"Wow," Bella placed her sandwich down. She had known that this was coming soon, but it was still a bit of a surprise when it happened. "You're last day is?"

"Friday night," he placed down his own sandwich. "We're going to introduce the new boys in throughout the night. And then, as soon as I get off, that's it."

"That's it," Bella said quietly. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah," Edward smiled and bounced his knee, Jacob gurgling and giggling from his spot in Edward's lap as he bounced. "I've been waiting since you fell back into my life to be out of that hole. I want to be able to spend time with you and Jacob. I want to actually go on a date with you on a night outside of Tuesday."

Bella smiled, "How do you want to celebrate?"

"Let's go home," Edward said pulling out a couple of pieces of paper from his briefcase and sliding them across his desk to her. "I think it's the perfect chance for us to do so. Next week is Spring Break. I've already talked Mrs. Cope into letting you go for the week."

Bella pulled the pages toward her, realizing that they were a flight itinerary for three. "You shouldn't have spent so much money," her brow furrowed. "Three round tickets must have cost you a fortune."

"Not so much as you'd think," Edward reached out and took the papers so that she was looking at him again. "Come home with me, Bella. When was the last time that Chief Swan saw his grandson?"

"Just after he was born," Bella admitted. "He caught a flight here when he found out that I'd gone into labor."

"I want you to come to Forks with me." He reached out and took her hand. "I haven't spoken to my parents in years. And I'd really like to go home and talk to your father, maybe get him on my side, get his help on getting you to marry me."

"I'm not sure he's really your biggest fan," Bella squeezed his hand. She didn't want to accept something so expensive as a plane ticket. It made her feel like she was being bought. But the tickets had already been paid for, and she couldn't deny that she'd like to go home to see her father. She missed him. And she wanted him to know that she'd picked herself back up, that she was supporting herself and Jacob pretty well. She wanted him to be proud of her.

"I don't blame him." Edward shrugged. "I was stupid, and he has every right, responsibility really, to hold it against me."

"Maybe," Bella acknowledged. "Where are we staying?"

"Well," Edward scratched the back of his neck. "As much as I'd like to continue to sleep with you, I know that you're father would probably prefer that we stayed in separate beds. It wouldn't be easy to convince him that all we do is sleep. And your father will want you to be with him. He'll want to have you under his roof, and I won't keep you from him. So you'll probably stay with him and I'll stay with my parents. I have a lot to make up to them."

"That seems reasonable," Bella picked her sandwich back up. Bella didn't like the idea of not having him in her bed anymore either. After that first night, she had given him a key. It had been a big step, but she hadn't slept that well in so long. So she'd given him her key and told him to come to bed after work, when he could.

And Edward had. There had been only two nights in the past week that he hadn't come in late and wrapped himself around her. The first had been the night that he and the others had declared the new boys to be ready. Instead, they'd gone to Emmett's, drinking themselves until they couldn't get off the couch. The other had been the night before. He'd really needed to do laundry. If it weren't for the lack of clean underwear, he would have forced it to wait. "We'll see each other during the day, and in the long run, a week is nothing. I mean, I plan on spending the rest of my life with you."

"Oh, don't tell me that you're going to propose here," Bella sighed. "This is where we work."

"I wasn't going to propose," Edward patted his pocket. "If you suddenly change your mind, though. I think you should know that I always have it on me."

Bella smirked. She wasn't surprised. "And you can keep it, for now." She knew that if he stuck around, she was going to give in.

* * *

"Hey, Ally," Jasper pulled on his jeans as he walked around his apartment, trying to find his illusive little pixie. She'd been in bed with him only moments ago, but she seemed to have disappeared. "Alice, I have to head into the club soon, where are you?"

"Jeesh," he heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on before Alice joined him. "Can't a woman go to the bathroom in peace?"

"Sorry, darlin'. I just didn't want to leave without sayin' goodbye." He wrapped his arms around the tiny woman and pulled her into him. "Are you still gonna be here when I get back?"

"I'm probably going to go hang out with Bella for a little while. But I'll come back after that." Alice placed her chin on his chest so that she was looking up into his eyes. "Why, were you looking for another ride cowboy?"

"Always," Jasper smirked. "But I really just wanted to know if your warm little body was going to be taking up my whole bed when I got back from work tonight."

"Always," Alice laughed. She looked up into Jasper's eyes, seeing, not for the first time, where she was supposed to be. She'd been right when she first said that they would make a good team. They'd proven it when they gotten Bella and Edward together. Then they'd proved it again when they had gotten together themselves. "Marry me."

Jasper chuckled, "Well it sounds like you're stealing my thunder a bit there, darlin'. Where I come from, the man asks the woman."

"You were taking too long," Alice pouted.

"You're right," he smiled. "Less than a month is just way too long. Heaven forbid we'd gotten the full month before marriage entered the equation."

Alice huffed, "Are you going to marry me or not?"

"Well since you asked so nicely," Jasper leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "I just wished you'd waited a few more weeks, then I would have gotten down on one knee and everything."

"What were you waiting for?" Alice asked curiously.

"Well to stop allowing other women to touch me for one," Jasper shrugged. "I was hopin' that when I got out of the club, I would have more time to think of a romantic way to propose."

"I don't need romance," Alice laid her head over Jasper's chest. "I just need you."

Jasper squeezed her more tightly. "Still want a ring, right?"

"You think I'd give up the chance of a huge rock?" Alice smiled up at her fiancé.

* * *

"NEWS!" Alice sputtered excitedly as she entered Bella's house. "I've got something I have to tell you."

"Okay," Bella couldn't stop herself from laughing as she watched her friend bounce excitedly into the apartment. "What's this big news?"

"Jasper and I are going to get married," she smiled smartly and plopped down on the couch. She bounced giddily. "I asked him just a few minutes ago."

"Wow," Rose sat down the glass of wine she was about to take a sip from. "Talk about stealing the wind from a guy's sails. Did you even give Jasper a chance to do it himself?"

"Why?" Alice shrugged her shoulders. "It's not as if it's going to make Jasper question his masculinity. If it does, I could always let him prove it to me in the bedroom."

"How many times am I going to have to chastise you about what you say in front of my son?" Bella huffed.

"Is no one going to give me the proper response," Alice's eyebrows shot up.

"Of course we're happy for you," Bella sat down and hugged her friend. "You just took us by surprise with the whole 'asking Jasper to marry you,' thing. I really figured that you'd want him to propose to you."

"Who knows how long that would have taken." Alice shrugged and hugged Bella back.

"Congratulations, Alice," Rose scooted over so that she could join the girls in their hug.

A few minutes later, Rose was pouring everyone a glass of champagne to celebrate properly. "I have some news as well," she said biting her lip slightly. "I don't want to steal your night, but I know you'll want to hear this Alice."

"What is it?" Alice bounced excitedly. She wasn't sure how her day could get any better, but Rose had good news.

"I told Emmett about Royce," she passed the glasses out. "I told him everything. I told him about Vera and my parents. I didn't leave anything out."

"Thank God," Alice bounced excitedly. "You and Emmett will be so good for each other."

Bella was still a little shocked to hear that her friend had opened up to Emmett. She hadn't opened up to her until after her divorce. Even then, she got the feeling that there were parts of the story that she wasn't getting, not that she was going to force the situation.

"So what do we want to do to celebrate all this good news?" Alice asked excitedly.

"We could go to the club Friday night," Bella suggested. "It would be our last chance. That's the night that the new boys are going to be shifted in. It could be fun."

"That's perfect," Alice smiled at her friend before bringing the champagne to her lips and downing the whole glass. "That's where all of this started it would be so wrong not to be there when they leave. I mean, they're really leaving because Bella came back into Edward's life."

"Oh, I will miss seeing Emmett up on that stage," Rose lamented.

"How many times did you go?" Bella asked incredulously. "I've only been to the club once during working hours."

"I may go more often than that," Rose admitted. When the other girls looked at her in question she raised her hands. "I wasn't ready to date Emmett, but that didn't mean that I didn't want to see him. It was just easier to do so from a dark corner of the club. I always made sure that I was in a section that he didn't serve."

"If you weren't so adorable, that would be stalkerishly creepy," Alice pinched Rose's cheek. "So it's a plan then. We're going to do an early bachelorette by watching our boys in action on stage one last time."

Bella laughed at the absurdity, and decided not to bring up that watching your fiancé strip was not a normal bachelorette party.

"Now," Rose snuggled up to Alice. "It's time for the more important question. Who is going to be your Maid of Honor?"


	21. Going out with a bang

"Last night boys," Charlotte knocked on their door before poking her head in. "I expect one hell of a show as your farewell."

"You always get a hell of a show from us," Jasper huffed as he put on, what he prayed would be, his last coat of eyeliner ever.

"Make it extra special tonight. I want there to be talk so that way people come in to watch the new guys." She smiled sweetly at the boys, "And if my business goes under because you three left, don't doubt that I will come after your asses."

Emmett laughed as she closed the door and walked on to the next changing room. "As much as I'm glad that we're going to be moving on with our lives, I'm gonna miss that woman. She's kept us on our toes."

"I'm sure we'll still see her," Jasper said turning from his mirror. "Did you hear that she's taken Peter on as a partner in business. There's no way that we won't be hearing from those two. Now that they're on this track, I'm sure a wedding will be soon."

"Do you have marriage on the brain, Jazz," Edward said as he came around in his first outfit.

"You're just jealous because my woman didn't need so much convincing," Jasper poked.

Edward smirked, "A bit yeah. I did tell you I was happy for you man, right?"

"Yeah, you did." He stood up and patted his friend on the back. "Bella will come around. She loves you. We can all see that."

"I know," Edward smiled. "She gave me a key to her house. I figure that's a step in the right direction. And we were meant to be together. I'm not really worried."

There was another knock on the door. Peter stuck his head in. It was the first night that he was getting to walk around as a partner rather than a dancer, and everyone could see the excitement in his eyes. "Jasper, we've got a cage request, and you're up."

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Why is it my turn."

"Because you forced me last time," Edward shoved his friend toward the door. "Don't keep the poor woman waiting."

After watching his friend leave, he reached into his bag knowing that he didn't have much time. Pulling out his phone, he typed a quick message to Bella. _Last night. I'll be home to you soon._

* * *

Bella laughed as she looked at her phone. The boys still had no idea that they were there. She couldn't wait to see their faces when they walked out, especially Jasper's. Neither he nor Alice realized what was about to happen. She'd worked it out with Charlotte, even getting a discount. It appeared that Charlotte was a woman in love, and was willing to only charge her four hundred rather than the usual five hundred.

Alice was bouncing in her seat, downing a sex on the beach that she'd snagged from the bar as she waited anxiously for her fiance to come into view. She wasn't sure whether he was going to be on the floor or the stage first, but she knew that she was going to drink in every moment of this night.

One of the dancers, or rather, former dancers took the stage. All three girls were confused to see him fully clothed in dark wash jeans and a t-shirt with the club's logo on it. "Good evening ladies," the man smiled charmingly. "Tonight is a special night. Tonight, we are going to introduce the new boys to you. But before we do that, we're going to send one of the old ones off with something special."

He smiled again and nodded to someone. Suddenly a light shone on the girls' table and the entire room turned to look at them. "One of our boys has gone and gotten himself engaged. So tonight, we're surprising him with some time alone with his fiance in the cage."

There was a combination of cheers, congratulations, boos and groans from the room. But Alice turned her teary eyes on Bella. "Did you do this?"

"It's the least I could do after what you did for me," Bella reached out and squeezed her friend's hand. "Now get up there and claim your man."

Alice squealed and jumped from her seat, rushing up to the stage. The man on stage laughed and helped her up the stairs. And then Jasper was there. He wasn't wearing the same outfit that Edward had worn, and part of Bella was grateful for that. She hadn't really wanted to watch a reenactment of her own time in the cage.

"That was the perfect gift," Rose said over the music as they watched Jasper circle Alice like a man stalking his prey. "We'll never hear the end of it."

"I couldn't resist," Bella laughed as Jasper actually lunged, and Alice stepped out of their way. Jasper bared his teeth at her, and Bella could swear that she could actual heard him growl. "I mean, we probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for that first dance."

"True," Rose smiled and glanced around. She was waiting to see Emmett. Ever since she'd told him about her past, she'd had a fluttering feeling in her stomach when she knew that he was near. "Topping you will not be easy."

"We could say it's from both of us," Bella offered.

"No," Rose smirked at her friend. "This should be from you. It means a lot coming from you because of what she did for you."

"You'll think of something," Bella glanced up just in time to see Alice finally let Jasper catch her. He pinned her so that her chest was pressed against the bars and his face was buried in her neck. A cheer went up around the room as Alice clutched the bars.

"How far do you think they'll let it go?" Rose choked on a laugh as Jasper's hand snuck up Alice's shirt. "It looks like he might strip her down right there. It would be a completely different show than everyone here paid for."

"I think some of them would get off on it," Bella glanced around the room and saw how many of the women had their eyes glued to the erotic scene unfolding before them.

Jasper's mouth had ascended to Alice's ear. He appeared to be whispering something and Alice's eyes rolled into the back of her head. And she actually yelped when he bit down on her earlobe.

Chuckling was heard behind them and both Rose and Bella turned to look at a blonde they had never seen before. He bowed his head, the tips of his ears blushing. Bella raised an eyebrow. He was going to have to get rid of that habit rather quickly if he was going to remain here. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Is there anything that I can get you to drink?"

"Just a glass of Merlot for now," Bella said as she looked at the stage again.

"I'll take a SoCo," Rose said distractedly. Emmett and Edward had made their way on stage and were having a good laugh at the show that Jasper was putting on.

She leaned closer to Bella, "How long do you think it will take before they realize that we're all here?"

"Not long," Bella smiled as the idea seemed to occur to Edward. He began to glance around the room. But the lights on the stage were too bright and he couldn't see past the front three tables.

They watched as Edward called over the man who had announced Jasper and Alice's cage time. They talked for a moment before pointing him in direction of the girls. Smiling, Edward nudged Emmett and pointed in their direction before heading over.

"Hey, sweetheart," Edward leaned down to kiss Bella's cheek. "I wasn't expecting to see you for a few more hours."

"Wouldn't miss your last show for the world," she smiled. "Plus, it really seemed like the best bachelorette party."

Emmett chuckled before leaning down and pressing his lips to Rose's. Now that she'd allowed him to start kissing her, he couldn't stop. "Well I think that Jasper would agree with you."

"Don't stand around boys," Charlotte said as she passed the table. "We still have a long night ahead of us."

"Go," Bella shoved Edward back toward the stage, though her efforts were really only half hearted. She'd prefer him to stay at the table with her. "I don't want to get you in trouble with the boss on the last night."

Edward leaned down to kiss her one last time before making his way back to the dressing area. He knew that this was the last time before he would get to spend every night with the woman that he loved.

* * *

"You three are really going to stick around till the end, aren't you?" Peter approached the table with a smile on his face.

"Of course," Alice snorted. "We're taking our boys home."

Smiling, Peter placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, "I want to thank you girls."

"For what?" Bella looked up at him in confusion. What could this man have to thank them for?

"You set a lot of things in motion," he shrugged. "When Edward decided that he was ready to go, he made Charlotte see that someday I'd need to go as well. He forced her to see that it was time for a change." He stood back up and crossed his arms over his chest, smile still firmly in place. "And now, she's finally taken our relationship to the next level."

"Congratulations," Bella smiled. "I'd hate to think that Edward's decision to leave would cause everyone trouble."

Peter shook his head. "They'll be done soon. Why don't you three head back to the dressing room?"

"Thanks," Alice popped up out of her seat, ready to see Jasper again. Bella chuckled as she stood up and followed her. But they both stopped and turned around when they realized that Rose hadn't followed them.

She hesitated, staring at the empty glass on the table in front of her. She was still nervous, but knew that she couldn't really hide behind that anymore. She had bared everything to Emmett and he still wanted her around.

"Do you want to stay out here?" Alice asked as she took a step back to the table. "I'm sure the boys would be fine if we waited for them out here. I mean, their dressing room is probably going to be pretty boring."

"No," Rose stood up and shook her head. "Let's go on back."

Alice was only able to knock twice before the door was thrown open by Edward. "Hey, Pixie. How's the bachelorette going?"

"It'd be going better if you'd let me at my stripper," Alice said as she squeezed by Edward.

Everyone laughed as Alice practically launched herself into Jasper's lap. "How much did y'all let her drink," he asked around her persistent lips.

"Just as much was appropriate for a bachelorette party," Rose said as she snuggled into Emmett's side. If she was going to do this, she wasn't going to let her fears hold her back. And if she were being honest with herself, there was something very safe in the warmth that she felt in Emmett's embrace.

"So basically," Bella plopped down in Edward's chair, "All the liquor that the bar tender was willing to give her. And now she's yours to deal with."

Alice turned to glare at her friend. "I have dirt on you, little missy. So you better be nicer to me."

"You have nothing," Bella rolled her eyes and laughed as Edward forced her out of his chair and up onto the counter so that he could sit down and remove the rest of his makeup.

"I don't know," Rose taunted in a sing song voice. "I do remember a very specific tequila filled, spill all kind of night. I'm sure there was something in there that we could hold over you."

Bella felt her stomach drop. She wasn't sure if that was true. She couldn't remember much about what happened that night after about the fourth tequila shot. But she shook her head anyway, hoping the fear didn't show on her face. "You have nothing."

"Okay," Alice turned so that she was sitting comfortably in Jasper's lap, who seemed pretty content to wait until she was ready to move before he continued getting ready to leave. "I didn't want to have to do this, but I think it's time to reveal to all these boys that will make them think very differently of you."

"Alice, don't," Bella pleaded.

"You've never had sex outside of a bed," Alice blurted out.

Bella snorted, feeling an immediate sense of relief. "Is that really the only thing that you have on me? That's nothing. Lots of people only have sex in beds."

"Not normal people," Emmett snorted.

"Don't worry," Edward said as he reached down into his bag. "I'll fix that for you as soon as," he placed the ring box on her leg, letting it balance there. He didn't say the words, but it was a reminder. He couldn't stop the smile that came to his face when she didn't flinch away from the box.

Bella picked it up and turned it around and around in her fingers. She was so tempted to open it, to look at the ring so that she could remember the exact details. It worried her that the idea of it on her finger didn't scare her anymore. Was she ready to say yes?

Instead of finding out, she pushed the ring back into his chest. "Nice try buster. But that's no way to propose." And when Edward tried to get up and get down on one knee, she shook her head. "You have a one question per day limit."

Edward snorted but decided not to push it. Besides, he was going home with her. If he pushed it too far, she might not be willing to share her bed with him, and he was addicted to the feel of her in his arms.

It was less than an hour later that everyone was ready to go. Edward wrapped his arm around his girl and watched as the other two men did the same. Rose had driven, but Emmett had somehow convinced her that she had had just a bit too much alcohol to drive home, so the car he was taking her with him. Edward shook his head. Something had definitely changed there.

"So," Edward kissed the top of Bella's head, "I'm assuming that we need to make a stop by Angela's to pick up Jacob?"

"Yeah," Bella snuggled into his warmth. "I can't believe that this is it." She glanced sideways at the building.

"I couldn't be happier," Edward said. "Well, I could be," he amended. "But I'll get my ring on your finger eventually."

Bella didn't say anything. She just let him help her into the car. She wasn't willing to put up a fight. Not when the likelihood of that happening was so high. So instead, she laid her hand on the console and waited until Edward placed his over hers and drove.

* * *

Angela smiled when she opened the door, but it looked a little sad. Bella couldn't understand why. She wanted to ask, but the way Angela held herself made her hesitate. "He's upstairs. Let me go get his bag."

Bella and Edward stepped in, and noticed Ben standing not too far away, watching his wife with a similar expression. "Bella, why don't you go on up and get him. He's on our bed."

Nodding, Bella squeezed Edward's hand before heading up.

"What's wrong?" Edward finally asked, not able to handle the obvious tension in the room.

Ben glanced at Edward. He wanted someone to be able to talk to. And for the first time, Edward seemed like he might be that person. Nodding his head toward the living room, Ben led him toward the couch.

They sat down at separate ends. Ben sat forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands. "Angela and I found out today that we can't have children naturally," Ben finally said. "It makes babysitting a little more difficult, because she has to watch Jacob go home with you two at the end of the night."

Edward swallowed. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "Is there anything that we can do? Do you need us to stop bringing Jacob over for a while?"

"No," Ben shook his head. "That would really do more harm than good. It's just going to take some time. Maybe soon, I can convince her to look into adoption."

Edward nodded. Bella and he weren't really to that point in their relationship. He wanted more than anything to get to that point, to have children of their own, to claim Jacob as his own. But it had never occurred to him that something could be wrong...something with him that would prevent them from being able to have children. Bella was obviously able, after all.

"I thought it was going to be me. I thought that I was shooting blanks, but it's her." Ben fisted his hands so tightly that Edward saw his knuckles turn white. "It's not right. She was meant to be a mom. And, God, she would have looked so beautiful pregnant."

Edward shook his head, "There are thousands of kids out there who would kill to have your Angela as a mother. And if the last few months have taught me anything, God has a plan. I tried to defy his plan once, and it just caused us both a lot of pain and suffering," Edward glanced up at the ceiling. He could hear someone walking about up there. He was surprised that Bella hadn't come down yet. Perhaps he and Angela were discussing the same thing.

"I know," Ben nodded before dropping his head into his hands. "But I can't even begin to imagine how she feels. It should have been me. It would have hurt her less. She would be more ready to look into adoption. But now, she thinks there's something wrong with her. There's nothing wrong with her. She's perfect."

Edward and Ben sat together quietly for a few moments. It helped Ben to talk to someone on the outside. Edward wasn't able to offer any advice, but at least it wasn't festering. And maybe soon, he'd be able to talk to Angela about it as well.

"Are you ready to go?" Bella asked quietly as she peeked her head in.

Edward nodded as he stood up and made his way over to her. He kissed the top of Bella's head and ran his fingers down the side of her face. She had dried tear tracks on her cheeks, and he was sure that she and Angela had been discussing the results as well. "Let's go home."


	22. Coming Home

"Why do we have to be here so early?" Bella complained, her eyelids still heavy with sleep. "Our flight doesn't leave for nearly two hours."

"If the airport opened earlier, we'd get here earlier," Edward chuckled. "I don't know what it's going to be like going through security with Jacob. They might cause a fuss with the stroller, and I don't want to miss the flight."

Bella rolled her eyes, but decided that she'd probably be able to sleep on the plane, if Jacob was able to, anyway. "Fine, let's get checked in."

Edward smiled. The past few days since he'd officially left the club had left him with more time to sleep, so he wasn't near as tired as Bella was. But there was something so endearing about this sleep ruffled, slightly irritated version of his girl. "Just relax, baby. There's no stress this way. We just have to get in, get on the plane, and I'll wake you up in time to get off."

"Mhm," Bella tried not to be irritated with his happiness as she unbuckled a still sleeping Jacob from his car seat.

Edward coughed to hide his chuckle. It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that Bella did not do well before six am. He supposed he couldn't blame her. Especially when they'd spent the half the night up determining the sleeping arrangements as well as how they were going to handle Charlie. There was no doubt that he was going to be very protective of his daughter and grandson. Edward was going to have to prove himself. And he knew that their decision to remain in the same bed wasn't giving him a good start. But Bella wanted him in her bed as much as he wanted to be there, and he would deny her nothing. Well, nothing short of sex before marriage.

"Okay," Bella shifted Jacob so that his head was resting on her shoulder. "Can you carry his stroller? I don't want to buckle him in just to get him out again."

Edward nodded before hooking all the luggage together and rolling the three pieces of luggage with the stroller folded and tucked under his arm.

Bella would have argued, but she didn't want to disturb Jacob, so she let Edward carry all the luggage without struggle.

They made it through security without much issue. Jacob did wake up when they were forced to remove his shoes. And though he didn't cry, he was pouting at the realization that he wasn't in his bed.

"Here," Edward reached out for the squirming infant. "Why don't you get some breakfast while I hold Jacob."

Bella didn't hesitate. She loved her son, but she'd come to realize that there was no one in the world who could calm Jacob down faster than Edward. So she handed her son over and went off in search of something to eat.

"I know little man," Edward said as he bounced Jacob on his knee. "This is not what you had in mind, but we have to make this as easy on your Mommy as possible. She's trying not to show it, but she's nervous about this week. We have a lot to work through with your Grandpa."

Jacob tilted his head to the side as he looked into Edward's eyes. Edward's cheek twitched as he looked into the chocolate brown eyes that were just as inquisitive as his mother's. Edward didn't doubt for a minute that Jacob understood him. There was too much going on behind those eyes for him not to.

Edward reached out and ran his fingers through the thin but soft hair that covered much of Jacob's head. "With your help, I think we just might make it through this week."

Bella stopped short of the gate. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Jacob laugh. Edward really did have a way with him. It made her heart ache, and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer. She wouldn't be surprised if Edward had that ring on her finger by the end of the week. She was getting tired of fighting him, and her arguments seemed to be becoming more and more feeble as they became closer.

When Edward glanced up, Bella smiled and took the last few steps to sit down beside him. "I picked up a couple of bagels. You like regular cream cheese, right?"

"Yup," Edward bounced Jacob a little more before adjusting him so that he could lean back against Edward's chest and look out at the random smattering of people making their way through the airport. "Was there much of a line?" he asked as he accepted the bagel Bella handed him.

"No," Bella swiped a stray hunk of cream cheese from Edward's bagel with her pinkie and sucked it into her mouth, smirking when Edward glared at her. "Everyone still seemed to be moving rather slowly toward their gate. I'm telling you, there was no reason for us to get here this early."

Shaking his head, Edward took a bite out of his bagel. "I'll make sure to book a later flight next time."

* * *

The flights had been longer than Edward would have liked. Bella was only able to get a few moments of sleep before the air pressure became too much for Jacob's delicate eardrums. And by the time the flight was over, he could see that Bella had become rather grumpy. She was going to need a nap, and soon.

"Let me grab the rental," Edward said cautiously, not wanting to upset Bella any more than he could avoid. Then we can strap Jacob in and be on our way. There's a nice comfy bed waiting for you in your old bedroom."

Bella nodded, her bloodshot eyes drooping slightly. She hated knowing that Edward was seeing her like this, but there was no getting around it now. The best she could do was try and avoid snapping at him. It wasn't his fault that Jacob couldn't get comfortable while they were in the air.

Edward did everything he could to get them out of the airport quickly, and was so relieved when both Bella and Jacob passed out during the drive. The approximately two hours of extra sleep would make the first meeting with Charlie so much easier. Though Edward would have happily been left alone with an angry Charlie while Bella got some much needed rest, he knew that things would run much more smoothly if he didn't have to do this alone.

* * *

Charlie sat on the front porch, trying to determine how he was going to greet his daughter and her former beau. While he couldn't be happier that she'd finally gotten out of her marriage to that greasy James, he wasn't sure that Edward was such a step up. When they'd been in high school together, he'd seemed like such a nice kid, and Charlie had been so sure that he loved his baby girl. But when Bella had come home from what he'd assumed had been a date, and collapsed in tears before making it two steps past the front door, Charlie had sworn that he would never let her be hurt that way again.

Just as he'd made the decision to run in and get his shotgun, he heard a car making its way down the street, and he knew that his time was up. So he stood, and waited for his baby girl to finally make her way home.

"Dad," Bella surprised him by nearly jumping into his arms. "I missed you so much."

Charlie cleared his throat, out of practice with such outward show of love and emotion. "I've missed you too, Bells," he said gruffly as he wrapped his arms around his daughter. "I'm so glad that you could come out."

Bella leaned back and smiled, studying her father's face. Looking at his face, even with the slight changes that had been brought on with age, made her feel like she was home. There was nothing like being back in Forks. Which was something she never thought she'd think.

Charlie cleared his throat and stiffened slightly in his daughter's arms. He'd never been very good with affection. It was one of the many reasons that he and Renee had never worked out. She'd always wanted him to be hugging on her and kissing her in public. They were just things that he didn't feel that he could do. But he could be intimidating. So, to regain himself, he turned his attention toward the man now holding his grandson. "Well, Edward. I never thought I'd be seeing you again."

"No," Edward shook his head. "I never thought I'd be here either."

"Inside, Bella," Charlie didn't turn his eyes toward his daughter. As much as he wished that he'd gotten his gun, he knew that he didn't need it. There were other ways to be intimidating. "And take Jacob with you."

Edward clutched Jacob a little more tightly, making him squeak in surprise. He looked up at Edward with unsure eyes. Edward didn't want to let him go. If he let Bella take him, it meant that he would be left alone with Charlie, not even the cuteness of his grandson there to distract him. But glancing at Bella, he knew that he had to do this. If nothing else, he owed Charlie an apology, and a chance to see that he wasn't going anywhere, ever again. And he knew that nothing would gain Charlie's respect more than him not falling under the chief's scrutiny.

"Come here, Jacob," Bella held out her hands, waiting for Edward to place her baby in her waiting arms. "Maybe we can go get settled in while Grandpa gets reacquainted with Edward." Bella smiled as she saw how uncomfortable Edward was with being alone with her father. She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help the slight smug satisfaction that she felt.

Charlie waited until the door had shut firmly before he sat on the porch swing, leaving Edward standing below the porch steps. The metaphor wasn't lost on Edward. Charlie didn't say a word for several minutes. Instead, he watched Edward fidget. When he finally spoke, Edward jumped, giving Charlie a strange sense of satisfaction. "So it would appear that you've wormed your way back into my daughter's life."

"I'm not sure wormed is the proper term," Edward couldn't help but bristle. "I do love your daughter."

"I've heard that before," Charlie snorted.

"And I meant it before," Edward placed his foot on the bottom step, but Charlie's glare kept him from taking the step. "You have to understand what was going through my mind then, sir."

"Explain it to me, son," Charlie crossed his arms over his chest.

"I loved your daughter so much. Too much," Edward tried to convey just how much with his eyes, but he wasn't sure that it was possible to show. "And, all I could think about was how I might not be the person she was meant to be with. Can you possibly imagine how that made me feel? I thought that I was holding Bella back, that she deserved so much better."

"She did," Charlie interrupted.

"Yeah," Edward nodded. "Bella deserves everything and more. And maybe, I convinced myself that she would go out and not find anything else."

"You've lost me," Charlie's eyebrows twitched.

"When I broke it off," Edward's fist clenched in his shirt above his heart, "It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But, if you love something, you're supposed to let it go. You're supposed let it fly away and be happy."

"But she wasn't happy," Charlie growled.

"I know," Edward tried to take a step forward again, but Charlie actually shook his head. If Edward weren't being denied entrance, he would have found this all very comical. "She's told me everything."

Charlie nodded for him to continue.

"I made her tell me everything." He admitted. "It wasn't easy to hear, and maybe I'm a masochist, but I had to know."

"So you know just what kind of scum James was," Charlie leaned forward. "You know what kind of torture my daughter went through for the past few years."

"I never dreamed that she would end up in the hands of someone so vile," Edward shook his head. "How could I have possibly believed that she would go out into the real world and find the only man in the world who wouldn't treat her like a princess. The guys around here were falling all over themselves waiting to see if Bella and I would break up so that they could get their chance to impress her. And you never saw the looks that she got when we'd go out to Port Angeles."

Charlie cleared his throat. "I'd rather not hear about the way that men looked at my daughter, particularly when she was under aged."

"I'm sorry, sir," Edward bowed his head. "You have to understand, I was convinced that, if we didn't end up back together, that she would find someone who would worship the ground that she walked on. I knew that breaking up with her would hurt both of us, but I wanted her to be sure that I was what she wanted. I never wanted to her to regret being with me."

Charlie sat forward, so that he was staring down at Edward. "I don't agree with what you did, and I'll never forgive you for how you broke my daughter. But I supposed I can't fault you for why. And none of us could have predicted who she chose to replace you with."  
Edward nodded, but Charlie wasn't done.

"You listen, and you listen good, boy. Bella gave you another shot, and if you do anything to make her regret that, she'll make you regret it. But she's going to be the least of your worries. Because, I won't let you survive it. I'll take whatever punishment comes, because, I will not see my little girl hurt that way again."

"Yes, sir," Edward nodded. "You have my word that I will spend the rest of your life attempting to make it up to her. There will never be a day that goes by that I will not make sure that she understands just how much I love her, and just how much she means to me. I can promise you that you're daughter will spend the rest of her life knowing just how special and precious she is."

"Don't think you're off the hook," Charlie stood and motioned toward the door. "But I want to see my grandson, and Bella will be upset if I spend too much time barring you from the house."

"Charlie," Edward waited at the bottom step as Charlie turned to face him. "I just wanted you to know that I'm going to marry your daughter. And I'm going to adopt Jacob as soon as she'll let me. I don't plan on going anywhere, ever. And if it takes you a long time to forgive me, I'm willing to wait."

Charlie nodded, but gave no other sign that he'd heard what Edward had said. He wouldn't be able to avoid it, though. He'd seen the way that Bella had looked at him. He wasn't sure how it was possible, especially after everything that she'd been through since he'd broken her heart, but she was even more in love with him now than she had been in high school.

"Interrogation over all ready," Bella glanced up from the ground where Jacob was playing with his toes and gurgling happily. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you two for hours."

"Thought about it," Charlie said gruffly. "But it's not very often that I get to see you and the little squirt. Didn't want to waste my time with this chump."

Bella shook her head. She was willing to bet that Edward had impressed the chief. He was good at that.

"Now," Charlie sat down in his chair, bending down to pick up his grandson. "What have you been up to scout?"

Rolling her eyes, Bella got up from the floor, relaxing onto the couch. She patted the spot next to her, inviting Edward. They sat together quietly, watching Charlie dote on his grandson. Jacob gurgled happily as he bounced on his grandfather's knee. Edward slipped his arm around her back, and tried to relax. The Chief may have let him into the house, but he was sure that he hadn't heard the end of it. For one, the Chief was completely unaware of the fact that Edward would not only be staying under his roof, but in his daughter's bedroom.

"So," Charlie finally decided to pay attention to the other people in the room, mostly because Jacob kept turning around to look at Bella and Edward. It wasn't as if he could ignore the couple forever. "What do you do these days, Edward?"

"I'm a professor," Edward was so thankful that this was the whole truth of it. He didn't have to hide his second job anymore. "I teach instrumental music as well as a few lower level music appreciation classes. Sometimes, I give private piano lessons."

"What kind of money do you make?" Charlie adjust Jacob as he began to squirm. Turning him so that he could see the couple in front of them seemed to help him.

"Dad," Bella had thought for sure that Charlie would have gotten all of these questions out of the way when they'd been outside. The interrogation should have been over already.

"No," Edward squeezed Bella's shoulder. "It's a good question." He pulled his arm from around Bella, and leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees. "I'm not going to be a rich man. At least, I won't be making a rich man's salary. But I do have a steady job that I've had for several years now.

And instead of spending all of my money, I've been saving it. I have enough saved up that I could live for several years should I lose my job. Plus, I have my trust fund that my parents left me, that remains untouched. Should Bella and I ever need it, it would still be here. But instead, I would prefer to leave it for Jacob to use when he grows up."

"What if you decide to have children of your own?" Charlie pulled Jacob back toward him, protecting him.

"Then we'll have children," Edward shrugged. "And we will love them."

"But what about Jacob?" Charlie asked.

Edward was actually confused by the question. "What about Jacob?"

"If you have children with Bella, what will happen to all these plans that you have with Jacob?" Charlie insisted.

"I love Jacob," Edward said softly, slowly. He didn't like what Charlie was insinuating, but he couldn't fault him. "I do hope that Bell and I will be able to have children one day, but that doesn't stop me from loving Jacob. Just like your daughter, I find myself loving him more every day. If we have children, we may have to divide the trust fund equally. But you can be sure that Jacob will never be treated unfairly."

Charlie contemplated that for a moment. He nodded, "And what about Bella going back to school. That's going to cost a bit of money. Do you plan to support her?"

Edward's eyebrow actually rose. "You can't expect me to say anything besides yes to that question. I have every intention of supporting Bella as much as she'll allow me, though I know that's going to be a fight." He glanced back at Bella, who had crossed her arms over her chest. "She's going to hate someone taking care of her. So she'll work as well. But I want her to have the life that she wants. And she won't be happy until she has the degree she wants and the job she wants."

"But how are you going to support her?" Charlie pushed.

"Financially, of course," Edward said. "But she'll need more than that. It's going to be tough going back to school. I'll be whatever she needs. Someone she can vent to, someone she can bounce ideas off of, someone to make sure that she goes to sleep and eats. I'll be whoever she needs me to be."

"You know I'm right here," Bella said in frustration. "Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room."

Charlie's mustache twitched, though Edward thought that he was trying to fight a smile more than a twitch. "Bella, it's Edward's turn to talk. You'll get your turn to explain in a bit."

Bella's eyes grew round as she realized that her father had just blown her off. She clamped her mouth shut, hoping that she could hold her tongue against her irritation.

"And how will you handle her when she refuses your help?" Charlie coughed to hide his chuckle.

"I do not need to be handled," Bella huffed. Not being able to handle the conversation anymore, she got up and made her way to the kitchen. "And if I need help, I'll gladly accept it," she ground out.

Edward shook his head as he watched Bella go. "I'll be patient with her. If I can convince her to marry me, I know that there is nothing that we can't do."

"Charlie swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd heard Edward be determined, prideful, impatient, and even truthful when it came to Bella. But he'd never heard so much obvious love in his voice before. There was no way that anyone could doubt just how much Edward loved his daughter.


	23. The Parents

There was a knock on the door. Esme looked up at her husband across the dinner table curiously. "Dear, were you expecting anyone?"

Carlisle shook his head. He placed his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin before getting up to answer the door. Esme watched him go sadly. There was a lag in his gate that had not been there years before. Some would attribute it to age, but she knew better. Their son had disappeared from their lives years before. He hadn't been taken from them, he'd simply chosen to cut himself off from them completely, and it had changed them. She wasn't sure how they'd survived it. She was just glad that they seemed to still have each other.

She could hear the door open, but she felt no desire to get up. Whoever it was, Carlisle would see them off, and then he would be back to finish his supper. She waited for a few moments, taking another bite of her salad. After about five minutes, she knew that something was up. Carlisle should have been back by now.

Wiping her mouth, she stood slowly. Perhaps Carlisle needed help moving whoever it was along. No one ever seemed to understand that they just wanted their privacy. If it wasn't going to be Edward at the door, she didn't want to see anyone.

"Honey," Esme made her way into the front room, hoping that her entrance would be enough to make whoever it was realize that they were interrupting something. "Your dinner's getting cold. What's keeping you so long?"

She glanced at her husband, to see that he was standing in the doorway, almost statue still. His hand was still resting on the doorknob, as if he wanted to slam it closed quickly. But he didn't move or twitch. Esme moved forward her brow furrowing with worry. What had happened? Who had come to their door to make her husband so unlike himself.

"Carlisle," Esme placed her hand on her husband's back. "Who's at the door?"

She moved around her husband, finally deciding that she needed to know what had caused his distress. But she stopped in her tracks when she reached his side. Surely that was a ghost at her door. For there was no way that her son could be standing on her doorstep. No, it wasn't a ghost, it was a vision from a life that hadn't come to be. What other explanation could there possibly for Edward standing on their doorstep, Bella Swan's hand grasped tightly in his.

"Mom," Edward said hesitantly, fear clearly in his voice. "Mom, will you let me in?"

"Edward," she choked out hoarsely. Her eyes burned, too afraid to believe what she was seeing was real. Her son had cut any tie that they'd had. She'd searched, but after a few years, Carlisle had convinced her that Edward didn't want to be found.

Edward's face contorted as neither of his parents responded. He knew that he should have given them some kind of warning that he was coming. But he hadn't been sure how to. And he'd run out of time. Okay, so maybe he'd been purposefully putting it off, by concentrating on getting Bella and Jacob ready, but he'd never imagined they would have reacted this way.

"Mr. Cullen, Mrs. Cullen," Bella stepped forward. She could see how much this was hurting Edward. She needed to get someone else to talk. "Would it be okay if Edward and I came in?"

"Bella," Esme's eyes flickered to her. She scrunched her eyes closed, not sure if she could believe it. But when she opened her eyes again, she decided, it didn't matter. If it was her imagination, at least she would have her son back. And he seemed happy. She tugged desperately on her husband's arm so that she could slip past him through the door. Then she thrust herself at her son. "Edward."

Bella smiled as Edward's arms wrapped around his mother. His shoulders fell and his face relaxed, a small smile forming in the corner of his mouth.

"Bella," Carlisle looked to her for explanation. "Where did you find him?"

A giggle escaped her lips, and Bella shook her head. Carlisle wouldn't believe her if she told him. "We were living in the same city."

Carlisle could tell that there was more to the story, and he wanted to know, but he wasn't going to push. Instead, he gave her a one armed hug, being careful of the child that she held, before wrapping his arms around his wife and son. They had a lot to discuss. And Edward would eventually need to know that pain that he had caused his parents. But right now, he just wanted his family to be together.

Bella shifted from foot to foot, not really sure what to do. She felt as though she were invading on this reunion, and should be elsewhere, but she'd promised Edward that she'd be here for him. And they had come together, so she really couldn't leave him. And she'd go in, but Edward's parents really hadn't invited them in yet, so she didn't feel comfortable going inside. But Jacob made the decision for her. He began to whimper as she fidgeted nervously.

"Oh," Esme jumped as she realized for the first time that Bella was carrying a baby. She hadn't even seen him. She was far too concentrated on the fact that her son had been standing in the doorway to see the baby. "Bella, come inside immediately. Get that child out of the cold."

"Thank you, Esme," Bella breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the house. She could see immediately that nothing had really changed in the house. Some of the furniture had moved around, as if Esme had been restless, and couldn't seem to settle, but it was all the same. So she went into the living room, settling down on the sofa. She shifted Jacob onto her knees, bouncing him until he was pleased that someone was paying attention to him.

Esme glanced at Bella, happy to see that she was content with her son, before pulling her own into the kitchen. "Where have you been? Have you been eating? You look thin. Would you like something to eat?"

"Slow down, Esme," Carlisle put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "One food related question at a time."

She took a deep breath and nodded her head. "We were eating dinner. Would you like something?"

"You were eating?" Edward paled. His family hadn't eaten this early when he'd been around. He'd assumed he'd be at least an hour before dinner.

"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have interrupted. Bella and I can come back at another time."

"You will not be leaving," Esme reached out and grasped her son's arm. Edward was sure that she couldn't have been aware of how hard, because even through his sweater, he could feel her nails piercing his skin. "I mean," Esme straightened herself out. "You just got here. Your father and I could eat later. Or maybe, we could all go out to dinner."

"To the diner?" Edward's eyebrow shot up.

"I'll put our plates in the oven," Carlisle shook his head. "Why don't we sit at the dining room table and talk?"

"That sounds good," Edward nodded and began to pull his mom in the direction of the dining room.

Esme sat down and immediately pulled Edward down in the seat next to her. He wasn't going to be moving an inch away from her if she had anything to do with it. So many questions ran through her mind. She knew where he was now, of course. But she couldn't understand what he'd been doing there. "What do you do?"

"I'm a teacher," Edward rubbed his mother's hand. "I'm a professor of music actually."

"Music?" Carlisle asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Edward swallowed. He wasn't sure how his father was going to take this. It had been 'The Plan' that Edward would become a doctor. It had been Edward's plan. He'd wanted to be just like his father. But everything had changed when he knew that Bella wasn't going to be in his life. He couldn't live out a dream that had begun to revolve around her. Coming home to an empty house after a long day at work. Working through a residency without her support. He couldn't imagine it, and he didn't want to live it. So he'd created a life that he'd never imagined her in. It hadn't worked well. His life without her hadn't worked. "After everything that had happened, I couldn't become a doctor."

Carlisle's forehead furrowed. He couldn't understand. "What happened?"

Edward took a deep breath. "You aren't going to like my answer."

"But I think we deserve it," Carlisle nodded his son ahead.

"No, Carlisle," Esme glared at her husband. "Let's not start that. He's here."

Edward stared at his mother in shock. She'd never spoken that way to Carlisle. It wasn't that she'd never argued with him, but there was something in her tone, something desperate. He swallowed. "I made a mistake."

"Well that's a good start," Carlisle encouraged.

"When I graduated from high school, I made a decision that changed the course of my life," Edward looked down, embarrassed to be saying this things out loud to his parents. Admitting it to Bella's father had been admitting he was wrong. That had been one thing. But this was admitting that he had been weak. He was weak, and had slunk away to hide. "I broke it off with Bella, and made her think that I wanted nothing to do with her."

"We remember," Esme rubbed her son's arm, not wanting him to feel that he couldn't trust them, that he would ever be shunned in his own home. "But Bella is with you now."

"Yes," Edward smiled. "Fate is hard to deny sometimes, and she dropped into my lap for a second time. I won't be stupid enough to let her go again."

"But how could that have changed your life so much that you wouldn't be a doctor anymore?" Carlisle pushed.

"She got married," Edward shrugged, knowing that wouldn't make a lick of sense to his father. "She wasn't going to be a part of my life."

"And that has to do with being a doctor how?" Carlisle saw his son struggling. "You wanted to be a doctor before you got involved with Bella."

"Yes," Edward nodded. "But after we got together. I couldn't have that life without her."

Carlisle sat down in front of his son, not sure how to deal with information that he'd just been presented with. "So you gave up on your dream for a girl."

"Not just a girl, Dad," Edward shook his head. "It was Bella. Imagine if you didn't have Mom when you went to Med School. Of if she hadn't been at home when you'd gotten off your graveyard shifts during your residency. Imagine, if you hadn't had the support of the woman that you loved. Do you really think that you could have gotten through it?"

Carlisle opened his mouth to answer, but immediately shut it. He didn't have an answer to that. He thought about it for a moment. He tried to imagine those years without Esme. He tried to imagine not experiencing his wife's first burnt meal, and then her first successful one. He tried to imagine his bed being cold each night as he'd dragged himself there early in the morning or late at night. He tried to think about anything that would have been okay without Esme. But there was nothing. Everything would have been wrong. In fact, he wasn't sure that he would have made it through at all. So he nodded. "I can see what you mean."

Edward smiled at his father.

"So, you're a professor?" Carlisle continued. "Are you happy?"

"I am now," Edward said honestly. "And I like teaching. Not the Music Appreciation course, obviously. But the upper level music classes, especially those that concentrate on the piano. Students actually want to learn what I have to teach."

Esme smiled and rubbed her son's arm. "You've always been an amazing pianist. Any student would be lucky to have you as a teacher."  
Edward wrapped his hand over his mother's, appreciating his warmth.

A cry from the other room attracted everyone's attention. "Edward," Bella's voice called out, and he shot up from the table. Esme shook her head, a small smile on her lips, some things would never change.

"What's the matter?" Edward burst in, picking up Jacob, trying to determine why he was crying. "Why are you crying little man."

Jacob smiled immediately, reaching out for Edward's face.

"You were gone too long," Bella shrugged. "He started to worry."

Edward sat down next to Bella, cradling Jacob in his arms. "There's nothing to worry about Jacob. I'm just in the other room. You should be good for your Mommy,"

Bella snorted. "He hasn't been good for his Mommy since you came into our lives. He was a Momma's boy until then."

Esme stood in the doorway, watching her son. It had been a really long time since she'd seen him, and even longer since she'd seen him happy. She knew that breaking things off with Bella had destroyed her son, but she never would have guessed the direction it would have thrown their lives into.

But, stepping into the living room right now, it was like stepping into an alternate universe. The way that Jacob looked at Edward, you never could have imagined that Jacob wasn't looking at his father. The whole scene felt surreal, and yet, no one could deny how real it was. Edward and Bella had found their way back together. She was sure that both had their battle wounds to show, but they were where they belonged now.

"Bella?" Esme finally stepped into the room, needing a moment with the woman who her son had never stopped loving. Would you mind coming upstairs with me for a moment?"

Standing slowly, Bella nodded. She wasn't sure that it was the smartest idea. After all, if she'd just fought for Edward harder, not let herself fall into the black hole that was her ex-husband, Esme never would have lost her son. Surely she realized this as well. But Esme had asked, and she wasn't going to make her wait. "Do you mind watching Jacob for a moment?"

Edward looked at her like she was crazy, and Bella had to laugh. It was a stupid question. If there was anyone in the world who could handle her son alone, it was Edward. Sometimes, Jacob preferred Edward.

Esme walked just out of the room, not wanting to get far from her son, but needing a moment with the woman who brought him back. As soon as she was out of earshot, she turned and wrapped arms around Bella.

"Oh," Bella patted Esme's back in surprise.

"I won't ever be able to thank you properly for making him himself again," Esme whispered into her hair. "I know that he hurt you, but you'll never know how much he hurt himself. He may have left us without so much as a phone number, but I lost him years before that."

"I love your son," Bella rested her chin on Esme's shoulder. "That has never changed. And there's nothing that could change it, no matter how much I used to wish that those feelings would go away."

"When it's meant to be," Esme pulled back and brushed back a strand of Bella's hair. "there's nothing that you can do about it. And you and Edward were always meant to be."

Bella blushed, dropping her eyes to the floor. Esme had never made her feel an less than welcome, but this was above and beyond.

Reaching out, Esme tipped Bella's chin up, "You are the most important person in my son's life. And you have been for quite some time. I think it's time for you to realize it."

"I'm trying," Bella admitted. "It's still tough sometimes. The first time that Edward and I were together, I didn't believe that I deserved his adoration, but I did believe that he loved me. And I spent all my time trying to earn the love I already had. And of course, afterward, I let myself fall to whoever wanted me, which was how I ended up with James." Bella's brow furrowed. She really shouldn't be saying this to Edward's mother.

Esme rubbed Bella's arm, "I know it's been tough, but you're a stronger woman for it. And you have a beautiful baby boy, who my son adores."

Bella smiled as she thought about Edward and her son, who were both sitting on the other side of that wall. "Yes, Jacob has been the center of my world."

"Then you understand why seeing Edward so happy is important to me," Esme squeezed Bella's arm. "And he wants to make you happy. Let him."  
Smiling, Bella leaned forward and hugged Esme. "As long as he's in my life, I'll be happy."

"Bella," Edward's voice called from the living room.

Esme smiled before shoving her into the living room.

"Can't you handle him for just a few moments?" Bella teased.

Edward chuckled, "I think he just wants both of us right now."

"Well," Bella sat down next to Edward, "that's because he's been spoiled lately. We're always both around."

Esme sat down on the arm of the chair that Carlisle had occupied. Carlisle wrapped his arm across the top of her legs, resting his head against her arm. He felt like himself for the first time in longer than he could remember. And, though his wife's presence had always been a comfort, it had been a while since he'd wanted to simply be beside her. Having their son back, Carlisle couldn't deny how much he'd neglected her as of late. It wasn't that he'd forgotten their anniversary, or her birthday. And, if asked, Esme would have said that she had treated him better than any husband had ever treated a wife. But Carlisle knew that he had not treasured her as she deserved. And he was going to begin changing that right now.

"How long are you in town for?" Esme asked. She didn't really want to know when she was going to lose her son again. But she did want to know how much time she could squeeze in with him. And she wanted to be sure that he wasn't going to disappear from her life again.

"We can only be here for the next week," Edward said, seeing the sadness in his mother's eyes immediately. He'd known that she would hurt when he left. He should have made sure that she knew that he was okay. "Spring Break will end, and I have classes to teach. Bella has to get back to work as well."

"A week," Esme tried not to show her disappointment. "Are you staying at the inn?"

"No, we're staying with my Dad." Bella could see how much Esme wished that they were staying with her. "Maybe next time we come into town, we'll get to stay longer. Maybe, since Edward isn't teaching during one of the summer semesters, we come home for longer during the summer and stay with you."

"I'd like that very much," Esme smiled.

Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulder and hugged her to his side tightly. Bella sank into him, reaching out to tickle her son, who seemed to finally be completely content with his surroundings. And Bella wasn't against using her son's happiness to force Edward to stay right here, holding both of them.

"Maybe we could go out to dinner," Carlisle tried again. "We could call Charlie, too. Maybe we could go to Port Angeles. We really haven't gone out in a while."

"I'm sure he'd like that," Bella reached into her pocket, wanting to find her phone. "I'd hate to leave him to cook for himself."

"It's settled," Esme exclaimed excitedly. She rubbed her husband's arm that was still slung over her legs. "We're going out. Pack up that cute son of yours, call your dad, and I'll go make sure that a table is saved for us." Esme squeezed her husband's arm one more time before slipping out from under it, and heading to the kitchen.

"Did you hear that little man?" Edward bounced the little boy on his knee. "Looks like we're going to have a big night on the town. I need to change your diaper before we go."

"I'll call dad," Bella kissed Edward's cheek.

"It won't be too long," Edward turned to his dad and smile. He wasn't sure that there were words to explain just what he was feeling at the moment, but he knew that if anyone could understand, it was his father.

Carlisle watched his son go, and waited until Bella had hung up with her own father. "I never thought I'd see my son so happy. Don't ever doubt that he loves you."

Bella blushed, and wished that she hadn't let Edward take her son with him. Jacob was always a good distraction. And she would have an excuse not to look Carlisle in the eyes. "I love your son," she finally admitted. "And my son adores him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

"And that's what he wants too," Edward reminded her as he walked back into the room. He kissed the top of Bella's head and placed Jacob on her lap. "Hey, Dad. Would you mind showing me where my stuff is. There are some things I'd like to get."

Carlisle pushed himself off the couch. "It's all still in your room. What are you looking for?"

"Pictures mostly," Edward admitted. He followed Carlisle up to his room, leaving Bella for a few minutes alone with her son.

"Oh Jacob," Bella bounced her son and giggled. "We might be in for a very long night."


End file.
